Mathophobia
Throughout
my life I was always in love with math. I was the student in the class
who always got the hang of how to do each math problem quickly and easily, but
there was one class that I struggled with: PHYSICS.
When
I got into high school and had to take physics I went in with a positive
attitude, but as the time went on, I was never grasping the math concepts in
the class. I would dread walking into that classroom because I hated
feeling like I was not smart enough to be there; the math we were learning
about was completely different from any math I had learned prior to taking the
class. Everyone else understood the material and would say it was so
easy, while I thought it was the hardest class I had ever taken. But, of
course I was not going to tell anyone that, right? Well, once the time
came to start reviewing for a test, I was confused with many topics. My
physics teacher came up to me and asked me how I was feeling about the class.
I had to tell her that I was very overwhelmed and feared even going to the
class to try to learn about topics that I would never understand. She helped me. I had no hope
that I would ever be able to pass the class, but she would always give the help that I needed and she would happily do
so. Even though I struggled through the
whole year I had my teacher there to help when I needed it.
The
day of the Regents Exam was the most difficult day for me. I went in there with the mindset that I could
not do it, I was telling myself I was going to fail. As I was taking the test, I was realizing
that sometimes when you put yourself down it just makes everything worse. So from that point on I took the test to the
best of my ability and even
though I thought I still failed I told myself that I had tried my best, which,
really, that’s all I could do.
I
spent a few weeks waiting for my report card to come and to ultimately see a failing
grade. The day the report card came, I hesitated
to open it. Did I really want to get
confirmation on the fact that I failed my physics regents? Well, I opened the
report card up and looked down at my grade, a 76! Yes, a 76! I passed, I actually
passed! I could not believe it!
For
many students, mathophobia does not go away. They will always be scared for a
test, to learn new topics or to fail. My
physics teacher was my “savior”. She was
the best teacher that I have ever had and for that I appreciate her.
Maybe
mathophobia is different in all students, but there are ways to stop stressing
over math and start opening your mind to new topics in math! You will not
always fail, I didn’t!
No way! That was exactly like my physics experience! I was taking a pre-calc and statistics class the same year as physics. Just like you I couldn't grasp the material even though math came so easily to me! I thought I was the only one that had that problem! Thank goodness we both had kind teachers! I'm really grateful for teachers that take time out of their own personal time to help students do their best and feel confident in their academics. I can only hope that one day our students will feel the same about us when we are teachers. Plus, everyone has a subject they struggle with. We just found ours earlier than most :)
ReplyDeleteHi Alexandria,
DeleteIsn't it strange that we are so thankful for the teachers that go above and beyond what some teachers do? Really, it is the teachers responsibility to teach and the students to learn. I know this sounds strange and simplistic, but it is the basic truth. I also know that everyone's time is valuable and it is indeed the rare one that takes the time to make sure the students are learning.
I'm sure it helps when the student is obviously trying and having a hard time rather than the student that has just given up.
Thanks for the insight.
Susan
i didn't take physics in high school i stopped a real science course after bio. After that i took two elecetives,but i was the same way when i went to get my report card and get my grade for the geometry regents exam grade. i was like a kid on christmas when i opened up my report card.
ReplyDeleteI did not have any crazy awesome math teachers that went above and beyond. I can relate to your regents experience though. I had to take math in high school when it was math A and math B. Which I believe is horrible. Why make a mixture of all the types of math and confuse me like crazy! Anyways. When I took my math B course in 11th grade I was struggling as usual, but I felt I could pass it. As the year went on I began to lose hope. Then regents came. I felt like I was horrible at math and I was bound to fail. Well the outcome was I tried my hardest and passed the regents (just barely). I was so happy that I had made it through math B and I could finally breathe again.
ReplyDeleteYour blog really related to me a lot. I have always loved math too ! I always usually get the hang of it really fast. I never took physics in High School because I was always so scared that I would never be able to pass it. I'm really proud of you that you were able to pass it even though you went into the regents with a negative attitude. I've learned that going into any test, not just math, but any test you always have to go in with a positive attitude no matter how bad you think you are going to do. I feel like we have the same outlook on math.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about how important finding the right teacher is. I was not good at math for a long time and this made me to loose interest in math. Things got worst when I was in grade 9 and 10. I was so overwhelmed and annoyed every time I was trying to solve a problem because I just put myself down. However, things changed in grade 11 when I met the best tutor I ever had. She was so passionate about teaching me math. She also always patient with me when I wasn’t able to understand the problems. When I need help with the problem, she explained it to me until I was able to put all the pieces together. My tutor kept encouraging me to practice solving as many problems as I can. After she was done tutoring me, I understood a lot more with her than anyone else who has ever helped me. I started to get interested in math the more I practiced. I started to care more about studying for my math tests or exams. I looked at math in a different perspective now than when I was not being tutored by her. As I keep practicing, my score still increases!
ReplyDeleteI can see where you are coming from!! I touched upon the topic that whoever your teacher is for a specific math course can play a HUGE role in your case of mathophobia. (if you have it) Some students never had mathophobia, until they got that one teacher in highschool or professor in college that, well, basically "ruined" math for them, or made them look at math from a different perspective. Teachers definitely play a huge role in how well you do with math and how much you like it or dont like it. I didnt take physics in highschool so I cannot relate to that, but I am glad that I can relate to the teacher aspect of it with you!
ReplyDelete