Personal Narrative: Honors Geometry

But I can not ramble on about my bad luck, as any 4th grade English teacher would say, “You have to answer the prompt.” Since I do not plan on breaking this cardinal rule, I will write about my transformational academic experience I had. Growing up in elementary school, middle school and even as an underclassman in high school I was never particularly fond of math, to put it nicely. It was always my least favorite subject by far. That is why a year and a half ago I was not too

For the past three years of my high school career, and now my fourth, I have made it an obligation to continually expand my horizons in regards to math; when I cannot fully grasp an idea or concept, rather than giving up, I relentlessly pursue the idea until it is understood. During freshman year, math did not come easily to me. I was forced to go in early some days because, simply, I did not comprehend the concepts. However, taking initiative with my school work, and constantly working through problems that were difficult can be deemed one of the best decisions I have made. Although my final grade may not have been an

When I was a child, I wasn’t very proficient in math. It wasn’t until junior high, that I was finally getting the hang of doing all these math problems every day. A factor that helped me achieve good grades was my dedication

My passion for mathematics was fixed at the age of ten, on the morning that my mathematics teacher told I would be sitting the Junior Maths Challenge, 'as practice for when you are older'. As I nervously started to answer the questions, a whole world began to open before me. I revelled in the problem solving, answering questions of a nature I had not seen before. My teachers were delighted when I emerged from the exam hungry for more. Since then I have consistently demonstrated my aptitude, achieving gold awards through to senior level, and scoring highly in the European Kangaroo.

After thought, I remembered my poor fifth grade math performance and thought about why I did better in the years after. I falsely concluded that I became more hardworking and proceeded to apply that solution to my present problem. I attended as many after-school study sessions as I could, and did every question in the book. On a few occasions I even found more online resources that could help me evaluate my knowledge and increase it. The culmination of my efforts succeeded, even though they were based on a false assumption. I had grown as a

Yes it’s very different and I had less subjects here than in Germany. And school made more fun in Australia. I wish I had finished my school in Australia and then went back to Germany.

So freshman algebra rolled around and I loved it. After two weeks in the class I was three and one half chapters ahead of the teacher. He would only assign the odd problems for homework, but I’d do them all. Geometry was even cooler. But thinking back, not one of the teachers even commended me for doing so well. My father noticed I was good at it, but I thought he had to tell me I was good; he was my father.

A time that my hard work paid off was last semester in Trigonometry. This might sound minor or even insignificant compared to other events; however, I had to work hard. I have always been a straight A student who excelled in math and science. However, when I got into this class it became a challenge. Before heading into this class, several people told me not to enroll into this class with this specific teacher. However, I needed this class therefore I continued with it. The teacher had challenged me, and I now had to fight for a good grade. By taking this class and passing it with a B, and even though it was not an A, I still worked harder than ever.

Sitting on the chair, a paper on my table, with a pencil in my hand, and a calculator on my right side. Stumbling across a problem that I do not know how to do, and figuring out what to begin with. My mind starts to wonder “what are the steps to solve the problems?” and there are times where I think “what am I supposed to do to solve for x?” I tried to do whatever I could to solve the math problems. I read the directions two times and double-checked the answers. When I finished up the test I am prospective on what grade I will get. I am always optimistic that it will be a “C-” or better because it will be at least a passing grade. Math have always been a challenge for me. I tried to understand the math concepts, but there are so many equations, formulas, and many ways to solve a problem. As math keeps getting challenging I tried to become better in my math class.

In my junior year, trigonometry was the bane of many people’s education… but not mine. With my Moor background, math comes very naturally to me, and I can more easily, for lack of better words, “get from point A to point B.” This helpful trait allows not only me to succeed, but others who struggle to ask me for help to learn alternative methods to solving problems. By utilizing my problem solving skills, I have aspired to become the Student Council President, Drama Club President, Chorus President, Newspaper editor, and

During freshman year of geometry was a time when I worked to overcome an educational barrier. Throughout middle school I was always in higher classes for math and succeeded in them. Once it came to freshman year in geometry I thought it was going to be easy. I had friends in my class and I had heard the geometry was just a bunch of shapes and angles. I didn’t think much could go wrong, especially considering that I did good in math the previous years. I started off the class doing good on the first test, but as time went on I started have a down fall on my grade. After a couple test and truly realizing I needed to make a difference I started to ask questions during class when I didn’t understand things. As I started to do better I also started

It was my first college semester, and after being four years out of school, I began to resume a credited math course. Not knowing about the difficulties of school, I decided to select a 4 hour course, from 5:40 to 9:35, and met once a week. This will be easy I said… but boy, was I wrong.

Maths is ubiquitous in our lives, but depending on the learning received as a child it could inspire or frighten. If a child has a negative experience in mathematics, that experience has the ability to affect his/her attitude toward mathematics as an adult. Solso (2009) explains that math has the ability to confuse, frighten, and frustrate learners of all ages; Math also has the ability to inspire, encourage and achieve. Almost all daily activities include some form of mathematical procedure, whether people are aware of it or not. Possessing a solid learning foundation for math is vital to ensure a lifelong understanding of math. This essay will discuss why it is crucial to develop in children the ability to tackle problems with initiative and confidence (Anghileri, 2006, p. 2) and why mathematics has changed from careful rehearsal of standard procedures to a focus on mathematical thinking and communication to prepare them for the world of tomorrow (Anghileri).

Mathematics has always been a difficult subject for students. Many children have developed phobias and barriers towards mathematics, which prevail into adulthood, thus limiting their potential. This limitation implies problems of learning, resulting in the child a sense of inferiority.

German students have a much more prescribed curriculum and are not able to explore as many of their own interests in the classroom. German students learn many of the same basics as American students, but their education paths diverge earlier than students in the US. Starting in