Personal Narrative: Ninth Grade Algebra

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I am not a mathematician.

This deep dive into self-knowledge occurred when I received my first progress report for second semester Ninth Grade Algebra. To say that I was put into a space of shock and awe is an understatement; I was outraged. I was completing all my assignments and turning in homework, but my poor test grades were obliterating my grade.

My other classmates were doing well in that class, but one thing distinguished me from them, they had a certified math teacher in the first semester. I was enrolled into a class with no teacher, stuck for the entire semester with a substitute. It is not uncommon for Banneker High School to have lots of substitute teachers, this problem comes when attending a poor performing school, and getting qualified teachers is part of the luck of the draw, unfortunately. My substitute teacher assigned us book work and worksheets to fill space and time, not to teach and learn. I should have been mastering the common core standards, but the only knowledge I garnered was that my former substitute did not appear happy with her career choices. I left first semester without learning anything about Math, but I did not know this at the time. I completed first semester of Ninth Grade Algebra with a “B.” I was satisfied.

But second semester Algebra came with a vengeance; I paid dearly because I did not have the …show more content…

I particularly enjoyed the YouTube Videos with Khan Academy to learn different mathematical concepts. Because Math did not come easily like other subjects, I would repeatedly replay videos after videos until I started a library with all my videos in one place. Between Mrs. Goggins’ after school tutorials, long nights of studying, the use of Khan Academy and other YouTube videos, I made up for my loss in first semester Algebra by successfully completing second semester Ninth Grade Algebra with a

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