Math Is Fun Forum

I am a math tutor in Canada.  Back when I was in high school (a very long time ago) the geometry and algebra were taught so that we had to memorize a lot of stuff instead of building the ideas so that we could understand the basis of the theory.  Now that the math curriculum in Canada has changed, I find myself scrambling to learn the basics we didn't learn in school.  Is anyone else having problems understanding how algebraic equations are built from scratch or how and what transformations are and how they relate to further studies in geometry?  Any suggestions?