We've been focusing on wonder and discovery quite a bit lately and there's a reason for that. Not only does it seem to fit with the seasons of spring and summer, but it's important. As we continue into our high school mathematics journey, the temptation to focus narrowly on the task at hand is hard to overcome. First there is a lesson on linear equations, then polynomials, multiplying binomials, factoring, and finally graphing, but we've forgotten our first love. Why are we on this journey anyway? This is a slippery slope (pun intended).
The difference between my high school peers and my current classically educated high school students magnifies in this digression. Classically educated students have been taught to focus on the true, good, and beautiful. They know that it is the goodness of God that drives us to study Him through the language of mathematics. When we forget why we are factoring polynomials, we need to go back - What do we see about God in his created order? He made the patterns in polynomials consistent, reliable, and amazing. For example, it is with polynomials that we discover imaginary numbers! Imaginary numbers don't exist, truly. However, if you multiply two of them together, the result is a real number, which truly exists. Where else can we take two things that don't exist and get something that does! How do we even fathom a God that allows us, equips us even, to see, learn, and discover this amazing relationship even though He knows we cannot fully comprehend it?
This is the mystery that we need to remember exists in even the minutest mathematics problem. Remember each lesson in your high school text started with a philosopher asking the biggest questions man can ask : Who is God and how do I know him?