Hey man, I first watched your user practices tutorials on lynda.com and now i try and check your blog everyday. I just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you, I really enjoy how you think and it has helped me in my thoughts about flash as well as using the web as a tool altogether. Much Appreciated Man. Good work!

Thanks very much for the kind words. Best of luck!

I was just having this discussion a couple of days ago with my 15-year-old and his friends. *gym* was my worst subject in school. This was back in the day when we were required to wear these very hot, orange, polyester, one-piece jumpsuits (the leg came to your knees) with snaps. Not only were they dreadful to look at and on, they were extremely uncomfortable on a hot day in Texas. Then you were meant to re-dress, sans shower or clean-up in your regular clothes. I can’t remember how I failed the class, but I do remember my mother seeing this grade on my report card and commenting that failing gym was like failing “lunchroom”. Whether I chose to not show up or refuse to wear the goofy outfit, I would do it all over again ;)

Math was definitely one of my favorite subjects. Oh, to prove a theorem in Geometry and spend pages solving an algebra problem was so satisfying. Then when I discovered binary numbers, I was in hog-heaven after I understood it all. A 2 number system! That you could add together … and have a solution. (This was in 1972). Now, post-menopausal, I am lucky to remember basic multiplication.

English/Literature, not one of my favorites until I was blessed with some extraordinary teachers. Then it was magic. Mythology! John Donne! Philosophy was the same, lame until I had an alcoholic French teacher whom we all adored and loved and every word she uttered blasted into my brain, embedded itself and I just understood it like I had known it forever. That wasn’t the case for everyone in class. Half of the class *got it*, the other half looked stunned and dazed the entire semester.

I ended up taking a golf class in college and realized that I wasn’t half bad at sports. I was a natural at golf and racketball…. Was it the teacher? Or the fact I didn’t have to change into some humiliating orange gym suit? One will never know, but I wish I had been given the opportunity to play gold and racketball in High School instead of climbing some rope (I was dreadful failure) or playing dodge ball.

I didn’t even know what a graphic designer was in High School and now I am one, for many, many years. I wish now I has study more programming because I think with my love of puzzles, it would be right up my alley. And that isn’t to say I might now still do that. I also paint, build things, photography … lots of fun stuff.

But back to the basic question. I think we are gifted in different areas, but the presentation and the ability for an individual to speak *to you*, inspire, and light a fire under you to want to learn more is the key. And I wish that would happen more often in schools. My son has not experienced that yet and I am keeping my fingers crossed that he has that delightful experience, many times! ;)
KC

(found your site via my flash class, lynda.com)

Same here, Robert. I was a writing major in college and naturally my best subject in high school was English. I was and still am absolutely terrible at math, which I blame for my extreme slowness at gaining any sort of coding abilities for the past 8 years. And trust me, I’ve tried because I really want to be good at it. Thank god for UI design jobs though!

I was good at math but I’m not using this knowledge in everyday life. I realize that I have forgotten many, many things. I’d love to do math again but mu job and my family don’t leave me a single minute :-(