Racing to the Top Using Mathematics and Science

The first time remember using Math & Science was as a baby, listening to my mother singing a song over and over again to me. As I recall, she said, “one little piggy when to the market, one little piggy stayed at home, one little piggy ate roast beef, and one little piggy had none.” The next time I observed counting was in our living room. I remember watching “My Daddy” as he gathered everybody in the house into the living room or what we called “the front room” for Bible reading and family prayer. As I recall, this was my first introduction to counting and order. Later, when I was old enough to look out toward a paved road that formed a ninety degree angle to the dirt road that ran from our house to it, I noticed a yellow school bus. One morning, I noticed how long it would take the yellow bus to reach the point where "My Oldest Brother" would stand and wait different lengths of time until the bus reached him. After "Ma" fixed breakfast, some days she would yell “the bus.” So, one morning after she yelled “the bus,” I noticed how fast or slow "My Oldest Brother" walked the dirt road from our house up the hill that lead to the paved road. Then, after watching him reach the paved road using different walking or running speed, I noticed he would always get there in time to catch the yellow bus. Well, from that day on, when I saw the yellow bus, I wanted to get on it and see where it finally stopped. So, in a few years, I would try to follow him up the hill to catch the yellow bus too. Catching the yellow bus on time laid another foundation for my racing to the top using Math & Science. Even at this early age, I noticed how fast or slow “My Oldest Brother” moved toward the top of the hill. Later, I realized, different speed caused him to catch the bus each morning on time.