Wednesday. Sophomore math, eighth period.
While most of Mr. R's classes are co-taught, his eighth period is not, which means that I get to teach it. Woo-hoo!
They just started a unit on geometry. (Back in the day, freshmen took algebra 1, sophomores took geometry, and juniors took algebra 2. Nowadays they've mixed all the topics up and distributed them over the three years differently.) We did a day of definitions (which they should have learned the previous year), and on this day it was time to go over some problems having to do with those definitions.
I showed the kiddos how to set up one of the problems. I gave them some time to try it out. And then I worked it out with them to make sure they knew what they were doing.
As I worked the problem, I got to a point where I had to subtract two numbers. And I paused.
I tell this like a joke, but it's true. I got through calculus just fine, but I stumble when it comes to arithmetic.
I mean, I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. But not fast, and not well.
Give me an algebra problem, and I have no problem. Geometry is even easier. I took four semesters of calculus in college. I majored in physics. I can do the math. Just not the arithmetic.
I was trying to subtract two numbers in front of the class. It was something like 123 - 15. The mental gymnastics weren't happening. A student helpfully provided me with the 108.
And so, I admitted my problem. I told them, "Seriously, check my arithmetic."
I figure it's better to admit it. They all use calculators, anyway. I'd rather they catch me if I write down the wrong number. If they let me know where I made an error, I can fix it right away, thereby not confusing them with mistakes.
As I proceeded through the page of problems, I made sure to check the key, just in case. I didn't make any major errors. I miswrote a bunch of things (I wrote a 6 when I meant to write an x), but I got the arithmetic mostly right.
Still, I'll never entirely trust myself. It's too easy for me to slip up.
Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter
Jamie here:
ReplyDeleteI never liked math all that much. I figured that knowing how to add, subtract, multiply and divide was enough to get thru in life :)
Depends, I suppose. I mean, I need higher math, but that's only because I'm expected to teach it from time to time ;)
DeleteIn my day:
ReplyDeleteFreshmen: Algebra I
Sophomore: Ideally, Geometry. But, since I didn't do too well in Algebra I, I had to take "Topics in Algebra and Geometry." That never made sense to me because, if you were bad in Algebra, why couldn't you take Geometry? Anyway, we called it "Mental Math." Yes, we were politically-incorrect A-Holes.
Juniors: Since my school district only required 3 out of 4 years with math (I think that's a bad idea), I elected to not take it (remember, how I told you I hated math?).
Senior: Algebra II.
Fast forward: my son started his "math journey" in Middle School. In his JUNIOR year, he had Calculus II and, in his Senior Year, Statistics.
He became an engineer and will be getting a private pilot's license any day.
Meanwhile, here I am on Blogger...
I was never good at math. The basic stuff was fine but algebra, and anything above that was harder. I remember going to my daughter's 7th grade teacher one day when they changed the way they wanted them doing the "new math" and asked her if she would show me to to do it so I could help my daughter with her homework because I was clueless. lol
ReplyDeleteShe was happy to help and I caught on fast so that's good. I don't even remember what the problem was now.
Math was not my thing. I did ok but stopped taking classes as soon as I was able.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in school, 9th graders took algebra, 10th graders took geometry, and 11th graders took trigonometry. Since I was considered an honors student, I took algebra in 8th grade. And dropped out of pre calculus in 11th grade.
When my kids were in high school they took Math A and Math B, which were a combination of algebra and geometry (and I think there was some trigonometry). NY did away with this a few years later and returned to the more traditional format.
Math A and B sound like our IM1 & IM2. We only switched to this a decade ago? Maybe less. I have no idea if it works better or not.
DeleteIf subtraction or addition isn't vertical, forget it! Even further back in the day, freshmen had either General Math or Pre-Algebra. Then Algebra, Geometry, and... well, I didn't take past that. Math is my weakest subject. Geometry got me my one and only ever D! I like long division though, it's fun working it step by step, and it actually looks like steps!
ReplyDeleteYes, agreed, definitely needs to be written vertically. I hated long division. Although, that was mostly because I sat at the back of the room, and it would take me all math time to copy the problems down. I needed glasses but didn't know it yet. All my long division work was homework, so that's mainly why I hated it. (That, and multiplying.)
DeleteI always say I love Math, but the truth is I have never finished a Calculus class. I am great at Arithemetic based math like change back from a dollar, double digit multiplication in my head, At night I'll sometime count back from 1,000 in my head factoring the numbers and determining primes until I fall asleep.. I love subbing for Math and I resent the fact that they can use calculators to do the multiplication parts of their problems. But the truth is that in 4 - 6 years many of the middle schoolers I've been working with for the last 3 years will be doing calculus and I still won't get it.
ReplyDeleteThey are different critters. (Algebra just made sense to me while arithmetic was a struggle.) I bet you'd understand calculus more now.
DeleteI loved Maths in school. And I'm quite fast with answers. At our time, we were not allowed to use the calculators.
ReplyDeleteDistance learning broke their brains for arithmetic. These were the kiddos who were at home when they should have learned that, so they use calculators more to deal with that deficit.
DeleteMath is fun!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is.
DeleteI hit the "math wall" (and there is such a thing) in 6th grade. It then became a struggle. NY divided up high school math in my day much the same way as Songbird described, and we had a long teachers strike when I was in 11th grade, to make things even worse. I barely passed the Regents (our year end exams in High school). It's kind of ironic that, in one of my jobs, I worked with actuaries (but they did all the math stuff).
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was the sequence here, too, until recently.
DeleteThis mental arithmetic problem must have been just a temporary hitch. That happens to most of us, I believe.
ReplyDeleteNope, not a hitch. I'm terrible at arithmetic.
DeleteAll that calculus is impressive!
ReplyDeleteIt's just a different way to solve problems. Specific problems. Once you get the gist, it isn't that bad.
DeleteThat was nice of the student to give you the answer. I struggle with pretty much anything involving numbers and freely admit it.
ReplyDeleteI thought it got easier as I got further along.
Delete