It’s a Metaphor

Have you ever just known you were solving a math problem wrong but you were so far in you just had to see where it took you just incase, but 10 minutes later you’ve confirmed it had to have been wrong all along? Oh, and you’re not sure when exactly it went wrong?  Sometimes you have all the skills but you just don’t know when or how to use them.  Sometimes you had the skills but that was like a decade ago, and best of luck with that.  Sometimes you never had the math skills, the individual how-tos and you’re just plain stuck.  Sometimes even with all the skills math still throws radicals, insane fractions, and irrationals your way.  It’s all mathematically correct, but it makes zero sense and is just a mess.

Also: this can all be a metaphor for life and suddenly you can relate to my math struggles.

Ah well. I’m going to try isolating the other radical and see what happens.

Straight A’s

Straight A’s are nice, but I think I’d rather have friends.  I’m not saying I have to choose one over the other, but that’s only because I’m too awkward to make friends and I can’t help having all the correct answers.  I do need to get better at keeping my trap shut though.  They are downright rude about it.  Which is fine.  But you don’t get to be rude to me about me knowing this shit, and then ask me for help.  Nope.

Sorry.  Needed to rant.

Algebra

My algebra professor is the only person I’ve ever met who loves math more than me.  And she’s obnoxious with it!  Like if I’m even half as obnoxious, I owe a lot of apologies.  Also, she uses her powers for evil.

I will say she’s well-educated.  She has her bachelor’s, master’s and a doctorate in math so I can respect that but…

I think it’s her teaching style.  My last math professor was also a high school teacher.  While he didn’t treat us like high schoolers, you could still see his background in how he taught.  It was respect for the student mixed with respect for the student’s struggle with the subject.  I didn’t struggle, but I still appreciated the teaching style.  It made it all the easier and enjoyable.

My current math professor has only ever taught adults and she has no interest in acknowledging that she might need to slow down a notch, or explain something better.  We’re working on something even I have to stop and think about so it’s frustrating to be rushed through it.

Will I pass the class?  Yes.  With an A?  Probably.  But I don’t like her teaching style and I doubt I’ll do as well as I assumed.

I don’t know.  It’s only been one class and I’m currently sick.  Hopefully I’ll like her more as time passes and once my brain isn’t all foggy with sick, I’ll be able to go with the flow better.

Shot in the Ass

So I’m in the midst of my yearly case of bronchitis.  I’ve already been seen for it.  I got my yearly dose of steroids in shot form right to the right bum cheek.  I got a brand new inhaler.  I’m already feeling much better, though I still have my cough.  But at least I can mostly breath.

All this is to say I’m behind in life and I’m literally typing this more than half an hour after it’s due to post and I usually write at least a couple of days in advance.  I owe you a post on my algebra class, that’ll have to come Wednesday.  I just need to play catch up on life.  Mostly on algebra itself.

Statistics Show

Maybe my first mistake was spending a couple of hours Monday night preparing for Tuesday’s class.  I read the chapter, taking notes.  I did the online lecture.  I showed up to class prepared, already understanding the material.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I was annoying all my classmates by having all the answers.  When it came time to do group work, I was in a bind.  I didn’t mind giving the answers and explaining them, but I had to defend each individual answer and explain it 5 different ways for the general consensus to believe me.

The joke of the matter is, on the group assignment we weren’t being graded on if the answers were right or wrong, but on how nicely we played with others.  Me ability to achieve what will be a total of 84 points, is based on my ability to work in a group.  A group of people who just don’t get the material that comes naturally to me.

So I need to find that delicate balance of pretending I don’t have all the answers, while at the same time helping them achieve the right ones not because the packet is graded, but because I do actually care if they learn something in this class.

All this is to say I think I’m going to be the problem student, in the same way I assume Sheldon Cooper was.

And…

It’s not that I wish I were dumber, I just wish they were smarter.

Yes, I know how that sounds.

Anyway, that was my statistics class, I’ll discuss my algebra class later.