I got super lucky in highschool. Algebra came super easy to me as I enjoyed the subject and my ADHD brain wanted to understand it but the people teaching the subject were like yours. Even if that weren’t the case many people can get through algebra sufficiently just memorizing formulas. Calculus was where the line was drawn between the those who memorized processes and those who understood the language. I really lucked out with my calculus teacher. He was one of those people who you could tell really enjoyed teaching because he loved watching his students grow. When he worked one on one with you his favorite thing was when you very obviously had a sudden moment of realization/understanding. He’d get excited and celebrate with you because you just grasped the why beyond the how. To this day I have not had such a positive experience with education. Teachers like that are a fucking gem and I wish there were more of them. He is almost the sole reason I am pursuing a career in education. The fact that math, taught in the manner he taugh it, isn’t the norm is fucking tragedy.