Mr. Wilkinson is the author of “A Divine Language: Learning Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus at the Edge of Old Age.” As a boy in the first weeks of algebra class, I felt confused and then I went sort ...

Back to school should feel like popping champagne—not hiding in the pantry with a calculator and a box of tissues. When our little darlings head back to class, we want them to be confident, curious, ...