What is Algebra?

What is algebra? Why is it important? Why is it so difficult for students?

I had never really thought about these questions until they were presented to me by my professor during the first day of a Teaching Algebra course. The idea that I had never sat down to define algebra for myself-and that I didn't have an immediate and clear answer-bothered me and I am now on a mission to answer these questions for myself and the Kid's Math Talk community.

My initial thoughts about algebra include knowing that it is embedded within the common core st