I define success as not only what I excel in, but the obstacles that I must overcome in the areas of my life where I do not excel as naturally. I tend to approach everything in life with an open mind and a plan of attack. I am a perfectionist by nature and have a need to conquer what is thrown at me. That mentality has carried me through subjects despite struggling in my mathematics courses. I have taken advanced mathematics courses since I tested out of sixth grade math and took the seventh grade course during my first year of middle school. I tested out of eighth grade math (pre-algebra) and took Honors Algebra I in the seventh grade. Since then, I have been two years ahead in math and two years ahead in struggle. Although test scores showed …show more content…
My teacher established a proof based curriculum and all year I was forced to memorize theorems and postulates. To this day, I refer to Geometry to the Dante’s Inferno of mathematics. Honors Algebra II almost painted a similar story and on the first day of freshman year, my teacher promised that my year in math would prove to be Dante’s Inferno 2.0. Fortunately, he showed up the next day, laughing and asking how many of us had had the bejeezus scared out of them and had gone home crying, begging their parents to get them out of the class. Those were his exact words and I don’t think I had ever seen a bigger, more cynical, satisfied, smile on anyone’s face. In that that moment, I knew that I was going to enjoy math for the first time in two …show more content…
To my surprise, by the end of the year I would receive advanced test scores on my end-of-instruction exams. However, I wanted to understand math as I was learning it. The sink or swim cycle that math had decided to take with me had left me exhausted and I longed to stay afloat for longer than one or two lessons. With Mr. Frank, my Algebra II teacher, I found myself asking questions—something I had been too scared to do in any of my previous math classes—and I would come in before school to ask for help on homework, quizzes, and tests. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I was able to keep my head above water and I felt like I could jump off the diving board into a pool of numbers. I still ended up with a B in the class, but achieved almost a perfect score on my end-of-instruction exam at the end of the
Success can be an extremely broad subject. There is an abounding amount of different views on what the “true” definition of success is. Personally, I believe that success is finding happiness. Success is waking up in the morning and not having to worry about whether or not the bills are going to be paid this month. Success is having a job that you enjoy going to every day. Success is having friends and family who love and support you. Success does not mean that one has to be exceedingly rich or have a lakeside mansion. As long as they are happy, they have succeeded in life.
Going through elementary school math was just another subject for me. It was actually simple to me. There were easy problems like two plus two equals four and five times five equals twenty-five. In high school, math turns into algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry, and other advance math classes. Algebra II was my toughest subject, and most of the students were failing the class. Despite my conspiracy theory that algebra was created by Satan, I figured out a way to make it simpler. Later on in the semester, I showed my teacher ways to make the class easier and simpler.
Math is not a scary thing. It can be fun and highly useful. In researching adult learners who return to college, I found a quote by Einstein saying (2015), “Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you that mine are still greater.” In Einstein’s humility, it was heartening to know we all have our weaknesses. It was even more hopeful knowing his historical mathematical strengths. According to Erskine (2015), “While the overwhelming majority of Americans, 93 percent, agree that strong math skills are essential to being successful in life, nearly a third say they would rather clean the bathroom than solve a math problem.” We all know how socially acceptable and funny it is to be bad at math. Although Erskine stated it too, she is right. However, I feel the tide is turning. It is becoming increasingly acceptable to improve oneself. I am looking forward to using the EdReady program for my Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry skills. In bringing this essay to a close, there is always a practical and approachable way to have better math comprehension. Math does not have to be scary. This is my math life
I flexed my mathematical muscles by testing my concentration and perseverance. The class comprised of independently timed worksheets increasing in difficulty, homework during holidays, and the tradition of redoing problems until every solution was etched in our minds. Although the class was rigorous, I was presented with the opportunity to respect accuracy and time constraints while honing my mathematical skills.
Mathematics education has undergone many changes over the last several years. Some of these changes include the key concepts all students must master and how they are taught. According to Jacob Vigdor, the concerns about students’ math achievements have always been apparent. A few reasons that are negatively impacting the productivity of students’ math achievements are historical events that influenced mathematics, how math is being taught, and differentiation of curriculum.
I also learned that mathematics was more than merely an intellectual activity: it was a necessary tool for getting a grip on all sorts of problems in science and engineering. Without mathematics there is no progress. However, mathematics could also show its nasty face during periods in which problems that seemed so simple at first sight refused to be solved for a long time. Every math student will recognize these periods of frustration and helplessness.
In a musty and bleak portable classroom outside of Henry Clay High School, younger me sat and tried to understand the hardest foreign language of all, math. But this tutoring session was different, I was finally going to have a breakthrough and understand something in mathematics.
The Algebra II course was a college-prep lecture; they were at a higher level than a general class. With the title of the course, I expected to see well-behaved, attentive learners, who were interested in mathematics. When the apprentices did become disruptive or talkative, I expected that the teacher would discipline the students by sending them out into the hall or to the office, as occurred in my high school classes. I also expected to see a teacher that challenged the students’ knowledge of the subject, and pupils who gladly accepted that challenge. Finally, I anticipated the class lessons to go as follows: collect homework, class notes which are copied by the students, time set aside for the children to practice this work via worksheets and example problems, and then the assignment of homework for the next day. These expectations influenced the ways that I observed and reacted to Ms. Stone’s mathematics
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.
The first time I realized that I was willing to work as hard as humanly possible to achieve my goals was sometime in the summer of 2016. I was always a determined person. Ever since I was a kid I would set small goals for myself and when I would reach said goals, I would give myself some sort of reward. For example, when I was in the sixth grade, I stumbled upon the Harry Potter book series.
The true definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Although, many people have different perceptions of success. Success is judged by the individuals themselves. Success can be defined in many ways including: wealth, happiness, fame, etc. Success can be anything from material goods to concepts. It all depends on your concept and how you achieve your goals. You have to have persistence within yourself. Varying on your profession, you will need a certain skill level. Your definition of success can be suitable best for you, but not for others. It is about truly not giving up, reaching your full potential, and self-fulfillment.
As a secondary subject, society often views mathematics a critical subject for students to learn in order to be successful. Often times, mathematics serves as a gatekeeper for higher learning and certain specific careers. Since the times of Plato, “mathematics was virtually the first thing everyone has to learn…common to all arts, science, and forms of thought” (Stinson, 2004). Plato argued that all students should learn arithmetic; the advanced mathematics was reserved for those that would serve as the “philosopher guardians” of the city (Stinson, 2004). By the 1900s in the United States, mathematics found itself as a cornerstone of curriculum for students. National reports throughout the 20th Century solidified the importance of mathematics in the success of our nation and its students (Stinson, 2004). As a mathematics teacher, my role to educate all students in mathematics is an important one. My personal philosophy of mathematics education – including the optimal learning environment and best practices teaching strategies – motivates my teaching strategies in my personal classroom.
My parents always tell me how proud they are of me and all i’ve accomplished in my life at such a young age. I’ve always been known as the “responsible one”, or the “smart one” out of all my friends. I’ve always been the one to remind my friends about tests or reports that are due, and they always ask what they would do without me.
When I graduated from high school, forty years ago, I had no idea that mathematics would play such a large role in my future. Like most people learning mathematics, I continue to learn until it became too hard, which made me lose interest. Failure or near failure is one way to put a stop to learning a subject, and leave a lasting impression not worth repeating. Mathematics courses, being compulsory, are designed to cover topics. One by one, the topics need not be important or of immediate use, but altogether or cumulatively, the topics provide or point to a skill, a mastery of mathematics.
Throughout out this semester, I’ve had the opportunity to gain a better understanding when it comes to teaching Mathematics in the classroom. During the course of this semester, EDEL 440 has showed my classmates and myself the appropriate ways mathematics can be taught in an elementary classroom and how the students in the classroom may retrieve the information. During my years of school, mathematics has been my favorite subject. Over the years, math has challenged me on so many different levels. Having the opportunity to see the appropriate ways math should be taught in an Elementary classroom has giving me a