# Changing people’s lives - with math

By Murray Bourne, 09 Aug 2008

The following mail came today from Sephie, a reader on a small island off Europe. She talks about how valuable the Interactive Mathematics site is for her daughter, who learns mathematics via home schooling.

I’m on a smallish island off Europe home-educating my daughter. We’re pretty isolated here and have to rely on books and the internet to get her through maths (and this year, further maths AS and A2 exams).

As you’ll know, having knowledge about a subject doesn’t automatically make one a good teacher, so to find someone like you who is both gifted and willing to share what he knows on the net provides help for my daughter in a very tangible way.

As we’re poor as church mice it means a great deal, and we will be relying on your site to help my daughter through the next two years. It’s simply the best we’ve encountered in many years of searching.

She hopes to study maths at university. If she succeeds she will be able to escape the poverty trap she was born into.

So I just wanted to let you know that your generosity in creating such a unique site will actually help to change someone’s life.

I also hope that your considerable talents as a teacher are fully recognised in your present occupation.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Sephie.

I wish your daughter all the best in her endeavours. It is very gratifying to know that my efforts may help someone to ‘escape the poverty trap’.

### 2 Comments on “Changing people’s lives - with math”

1. selemawit says:

i read sephie comment and have to agree that your site is one of a kind.infact i like to let you know that not only people who teach other people follow your site with interst,but people who teach themselves too.
i am Eritean,for the moment i live in Uganda.i don't go to school or learn from teacher,due to financial and other problems.so i teach my self from your site till i go to proper school.that is why i ask too many questions lately since i don't have teacher to ask, but you been very kind to answer evry question.i have a dream to be erospace engneer so i have to be good in maths and physics.i am trying to study every topics that are here and your way of explaining helps,so thank you very much for doing this,really thanks. it gives hope to someone like me.

2. Murray says:

You're welcome, Selemawit. Glad I could help, and best wishes for your aim to be an aerospace engineer!

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