My Math Struggle by Annaliese

My Math Struggle by Annaliese - April 2019 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, I had never been good at math. I remember in middle school my math teacher was very vague in her teacher and I could never fully grasp the concepts that I was being taught, but my grade in the class remained high so it was never an issue that set off the radar. However, when I went to take a high school placement exam to see what math class I was going to be put into, I scored a 38. This was a huge wake up call and shock that showed me I was not a good math student.

During my freshman year I was placed in the regular Algebra 1 class. I do not remember doing exceptionally well in it, but I was doing better than I had been. My grades for this class were in the high 80’s and low 90’s and I felt confident moving in to my sophomore year. This year I had Geometry class, and it was the first time that I finally felt like I completely understood what I was being taught. I remember that on the weekends I would do the week’s homework in advance because I did not even need to be taught it, I just naturally understood what was going on. My grades in the high 90’s for this year allowed me to be recommended into an honors math class for my junior year. This was a big step for me because I had gone from scoring a 38 on my math placement test to working my way up to a higher level math!

While I knew this class was going to be harder than what I experienced before, I was not that afraid of Algebra 2. I can remember my disappointment with my grade on the first test of the year, only to go through the year with that as one of my best scores. The teacher for this class did not explain the concepts well at all for me. A lot of my friends who were also in the class were struggling as well, so I did not feel so alone. In order to attempt to raise my grade and understand what was going on more, I began to come in early to school for extra help. This still did not work and I decided to take advantage my schedule by attending the same class twice a day, but with two different teachers. The way this worked was during third period, I had a study hall and at the same time there was another Honors Algebra 2 class going on. The teacher of the other class was also my tennis coach, so I had asked him if he would write me a pass so I could go to the class on days when I did not understand the concept. This helped me out a lot because I was hearing it from someone else’s mouth. On some Tuesdays after school I would attend tutoring sessions that were held by fellow students.

Even though I had ended the year with grades in the high 70’s, which starkly contrast with my math scores from my first two years of high school, I had learned a more important skill. I now was no longer afraid to admit I needed help and learned how to utilize resources around me in attempt to get that help. This year I take Precalculus and am excelling. I am not afraid to ask questions during class until I fully understand the concept. Considering my history with the subject of math, I am proud to say that now I am one of the people in the classroom that is able to help others out when they are struggling.