Welcome to Fall Semester 2017.
I hope you have a wonderful experience this year at BYU.
I remember my first semester here as a student.
I was thrilled at the thought that I was finally
going to further my education.
But at the same time I have to admit
I was somewhat anxious.
The prospect of being a student at BYU was daunting.
I was a non-traditional student,
returning to school
when our youngest child was in kindergarten.
I remember looking at the syllabus of each class
and wondering if I could do everything that was required.
I had chosen English as a major and was looking forward
to attending all the classes-- I hoped I could keep up.
I say I was looking forward to attending all the classes-
that is mostly true.
But, there was one exception.
Intermediate Algebra.
Algebra and I have a dubious history.
Algebra was a required course in junior high and high school
and I learned quickly
that algebra was not one of my strong points.
I did manage, however, to pass
those pre-college algebra classes--
mainly by doing extra credit assignments
given to me by sympathetic algebra teachers.
So, knowing what I knew about my history with algebra
and knowing that I would have to take
the intermediate algebra class in order to graduate from BYU,
I did the only thing I could think of: I procrastinated.
The problem with procrastination
is that whatever you chose to procrastinate
never seems to go away-- it looms large.
The time finally came when I could procrastinate no longer.
It was the last semester of my senior year,
the proverbial eleventh hour.
I finally registered for the algebra class,
attended the first day of class and immediately knew
I was in over my head.
My friend, Mary, who is a mathematical whiz,
could sense my panic.
She suggested that I drop the class,
register for the independent study algebra course
and she would tutor me.
I was so grateful to her.
That was the beginning of what my family calls,
"the year that Mom took algebra."
It consumed a lot of my time.
Passing my algebra class became a family project.
Not only did I have the help of my friend,
Mary, who tutored me,
but I also had Kevin's help and the help of my two sons.
They spent hours helping me with my homework.
They truly endured this experience with me.
When I wasn't working on my homework,
it seemed like I was expressing my discontent
to anyone who would listen --
in other words, I complained a lot.
I remember complaining to my mother about the fact
that I was an English major and didn't understand why
I even had to take algebra.
In a very reassuring way, she said "Peggy,
you never know when you are going to need algebra."
I'm sure she thought it was good council.
But, I was forty-three years old and had somehow managed
to get by without algebra up to that point in my life.
I suppose one never knows when the ability to solve
a quadratic equation will come in handy.
But, to this day,
I'm still waiting for that moment to arrive.
The day I had anxiously anticipated
finally arrived.
It was time to take the final exam.
In order to pass the class, I needed to pass the final.
I felt I was prepared.
I sat down, took the test, and guess what?
I failed.
I failed the test by one point- one miserable point!
As you can imagine, I was not very happy.
The only thing I could think of doing at the time
was to go directly to the counseling office at BYU.
The counselor I met with was very patient
while I explained my great frustration
that I had failed by one point.
I told the counselor that
I didn't want to take the test again
and that I felt like I shouldn't have to --
especially since the grade I received
wouldn't even affect my GPA.
I believed I had a valid argument.
The counselor suggested that I wait a week
and retake the test and if I didn't pass,
then we could possibly discuss other alternatives.
The last thing I wanted to do at that point
was to retake the test.
I just wanted the counselor to tell me I was right.
I left the counseling office determined
I was not going to take that exam again.
Of course, everyone who had suffered
through this Algebra experience with me naturally wanted to know
how I had done on the exam --
I'm sure they didn't want to go through this experience
with me again.
They were very sympathetic when I told them I had failed
and that I wasn't going to retake it.
I felt they would support me in my decision.
That's what I thought, anyway.
However, when I told my friend, Christy,
what had happened
and about my resolve not to take the test again,
instead of saying something like,
"I don't blame you,"
she said something that stopped me in my tracks.
Her response was
"You know that's not what you're going to do.
You know you need to retake the test."
That was the last thing I wanted to hear.
But at that exasperating moment, I knew she was right.
So, much to my chagrin,
I spent the next week studying.
Apprehensively, I took the exam again,
and guess what?
I passed!
I not only passed, but I passed with points to spare!
And there was much rejoicing in the Worthen household!
Now when I think about my ordeal with algebra,
I am grateful I had the experience,
even though it was, at times,
very unpleasant and difficult.
It was definitely a time of growth for me.
Although I didn't think the algebra course
was an important part of my English degree,
it was an important part of my education.
It was a personal victory for me.
I was ready to quit after I failed,
and I felt justified in doing so.
But, after a friendly nudge,
I decided to give it one more try.
And, although I didn't master algebra,
I was able to achieve success on the second try.
I know now, as I look back on the experience,
I would have regretted quitting,
and I know that the regret I would have felt
if I had quit would be worse than any discomfort
or frustration I may have experienced
while trying to learn algebra.
President Hinckley, who knew the importance
of both an education and not quitting,
gave this council...
President Hinckley also stated...
You, as students of BYU, are here to learn
and to obtain an education.
You have all heeded the mandate
that President Hinckley spoke of.
You are all obeying the commandment
given in the Doctrine and Covenants
that tells us we must "seek learning,
even by study and also by faith."
There will be times when you may become discouraged
while striving to obtain your education.
When those times come, please remember
that what you are doing is praiseworthy.
You are seeking to improve yourselves
as well as the kingdom of God.
In an address given at a recent Women's Conference,
Steven C. Harper provided this helpful insight
about seeking learning: "Seeking is a long,
"patient, persistent process that includes
"internalizing the best books, including the scriptures,
"where we learn not only the most important facts
"but the most valid meanings and values to give to the facts.
"Seeking is hard work.
"It is not for the weak-willed or faint of heart,
"nor for the intellectually or spiritually lazy.
"But it will sustain faith in a world intent on destroying it...
"Seekers are wanted.
We are all commanded to be seekers."
My hope for you this year
is that you will be diligent seekers;
that you will not give up,
even when facing algebra-like challenges.
I promise that as you do so,
your lives will be happier now and in the future.
And I say this, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.