The Math Department: A Word from Our Head
Mrs. Duggal, the head of our math department, shares a few words regarding mathematics at Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family.
Mrs. Arpana Duggal has worked in a variety of educational settings and has run a private math tutoring business for many years. Before launching her business, she served our country through her work consulting with aerospace and defense contractors. She has an engineering degree from Northwestern University.
We are blessed to have Mrs. Duggal with us. Under her tutelage, our students have posted strong scores on the Classic Learning Test, which recently ranked CATHF in its Top 25 national ranking list of U.S. high schools.
Mrs. Duggal has a few words on how our approach to math at CATHF fits into our integrated curriculum.
When most students are asked what mathematics is, the answer received often pertains to the applications of math. Whether its simple computations or complex calculus computations, some students say that math is the language of science.
Yet that too is another application of mathematics. Modern-day mathematics has unfortunately been primarily reduced to its utilitarian purpose, be it business or science. No wonder so many shudder when they think of higher level math classes (college algebra, linear algebra, pre-calculus, calculus, Euclidean Proofs greater than six or seven steps etc.).
Instead of math without wonder, the goal at Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family is to introduce our students to the wonder of this subject without which technology, as we know it today, cannot exist. It is no coincidence that some of our greatest philosophers were also our greatest mathematicians. It is no coincidence that set theory in mathematics forms the basis for logic in philosophy, and hence, students are exposed to this within their algebra curriculum.
There are innumerable ways for the beauty of mathematics to join hands with art and music. Unlike science, the truths of mathematics are layered upon subsequent truths which are proved resulting in a subject that is not watered down as science is often capable of being. Hence it makes much sense that mathematics would reside as a jewel within the humanities.
- Mrs. Arpana Duggal