"I remember everything about this day: my little favorite pink purse, our pencil boxes with the blue…

"I remember everything about this day: my little favorite pink purse, our pencil boxes with the blue lids that I still have, my cap sleeves, the feel of the slats in our wooden-lift desks, the way my friend Anne's hair fell perfectly, the warmth of spring outside our classroom window.

I am only 8 in this photo but remember it like it was yesterday because our teacher promised the whole class we could go outside and play as soon as everyone finished their math worksheet. I was a smart kid, but math was not my friend, mostly because I had...