Jayda Week 2: My Mortal Enemy, Math
Just like Cinderella’s evil stepmother is trying to sabotage her happy ending, math is the antagonist that is trying to take away mine. There is always a finite answer; always black or white, but never gray.
Last year, I was in Algebra II during the first period. In theory, nothing seemed too difficult; however, I soon came to realize that I was beyond wrong. I would spend hours upon hours studying and doing my homework for that class. It would end up taking upwards of 2 hours just to complete one homework assignment, and I would dread doing it more the next night. I would take tests thinking I got a good grade, only for it to end up being a failing grade. It made me feel completely helpless. This caused my already bad homework habits to become worse, and I would end up doing everything last minute in every class. This soon led to severe academic burnout and a drop in grades in many classes.
During the first semester, my math grade stayed in the low B’s. On the midterm exam, I was convinced I had failed. After all of our tests were graded, I went to the teacher’s office to see what I had gotten. Of course, I had brought a friend with me for emotional support, and when I asked for my grade, the teacher asked if I was sure that I wanted the friend in there when I received my results. That was already a bad sign for my grade, but I was sure that I wanted her to be there. The teacher reluctantly told us my grade, and we were quite literally, jumping with joy. I had gotten a C. The teacher looked at us like we were crazy. My expectations had been set so low that I was overjoyed about getting a C on a test worth more than any that I had taken yet that year. After that, I had a C for the majority of the second semester and was only able to change that with the final exam. After a total of about 6-8 hours of studying, I managed to get a grade that brought my overall grade up to a B, and that was a personal success for me.
This year, math has not been as harsh on me, as I was moved to a slower class, but my work habits are still not ideal, and I have been unsuccessful in changing them thus far. I still find it incredibly frustrating that other people are able to do math with more ease, but I have come to accept the fact that it is alright to not be great at everything. Talking among my classmates has helped me realize that I am not alone in despising math, but I seem to loathe it on a whole new level.
Do you ever feel like something is causing your downfall?
Math is not my favorite subject either! I appreciate your honesty and genuineness in this post; it helped me connect to what you were saying and relate to you. I think it's important that you brought academic burnout to light; it is a real problem that teens face in today's world. We have so much pressure and stress put on us, and we try really hard. But, then, we don't do as well, and it can make us feel helpless, just like you said. You are definitely not alone, and I think we all need breaks and rest, even if it means sacrificing some homework or study time because our mental health should be prioritized.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree when it comes to math being your downfall. Math has never been the easiest subject for me either. Especially last year I had trouble with math and would spend hours on end study just to receive a passing grade. I really respect how you were able to open up about this struggle.
ReplyDeleteMath is definitely not my favorite. I love how you opened up and shared your perspective of this struggle for many students.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who shared the same experience, it is nice to know that someone else feels the same. Math has never been an easy subject for me. Especially math last year, I would all my free time studying just to barely pass. I really admire how you were able to share your struggles and your experience.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't relate more to a blog post. Math has been the reason for countless stressful nights full of tears for me. It annoys me how some people understand it so easily! Last year math was also so overwhelming for me. I constantly found myself stressed after class and was never able to comprehend the materiel. I spent hours studying trying to bring up my grades and was finally seeing progress. Hopefully this year will be less stressful in math.
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