Loving the unlovable
By mikyung
@mikyung (2232)
Philippines
June 19, 2012 6:04pm CST
I really dreaded the days when I was a kid who needed to have compulsary mathematics classes. I even hated my math teachers (no offense meant to math teachers) I did not enjoyed math all my life. Now at may age, I starting to see the joy, the fun, though tough Math problems through my grade school nephews and nieces.
Ironically, I'm the one teaching them right now - their private tutor. I should have gained enough knowledge back then in order to teach them well. If only I have the courage. I'm thinking about learning this subject formally. Formally in the sense that I may spend extra time in solving equations so I can teach my kids better.
can you relate? Any thoughts. Thanks
12 responses
@PageTurner (2825)
• United States
19 Jun 12
Hello mikyung
I used to dread my mathematics classes more than anything in the world. I never had any fun with the mathematics, nor did I comprehend the algebra, geometry, etc. I think that I had the learning problem with it but no one called it that then and just thought I didn't try hard enough. I would work on hundreds of practice problems every evening at home on my own, but still just couldn't get it. I had no love for the mathematics.
Later, when I was much older, I started having a better grasp for the mathematics, and also started to use some of the algebra for different projects. Even later, I was hired to tutor children and I had to teach myself basic algebra so that I could teach the children.
@meumeu25 (917)
• United Arab Emirates
20 Jun 12
I actually loved Mathematics, it was fun to learn and challenging, my math teachers taught it to us in a fun way and i liked it. My classmates used to copy my math homeworks, then one day I got pissed off of them because they don't even bother try to make their own homeworks, I made 2 copies one with the wrong answers and one with my own answers. I gave them the wrong ones. And then I did not let them copy mine anymore.
@jaiho2009 (39141)
• Philippines
20 Jun 12
Oh yes, I can relate :p
I hate numbers and I can still remember how my Math teacher suspended me from his class - nyayyy.
No, I am not a bully- it just happen that I am not feeling well when he (Math teacher) entered our classroom calling my name and ask me to define what is "acute angle"
Fine, I forgot to read my notes and well, you know it, I don't like Math (so, how would anyone expect me to read my notes- heheeh)
Instead of answering the question, I said " sir, do you think I really need Math in my life" ![](/Content/images/emotes/w00t.gif)
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@thewonderboy (7501)
• India
20 Jun 12
Mathematics is fun with all with numbers. Really it is very interesting and easy if you understand it well. A person can do mathematics well if you have a good base. Most of the problems for kids which is appearing in exams is really simple. The questions are mostly about simple calculation. The teachers tries to verify that they are well know about the steps in each of the problem, this is the what they try by putting the questions in exams.
I just meant that you must make the children to study the problems in step wise manner.
@taura2p (349)
• Romania
20 Jun 12
It happened to me too, with physics. I never liked physics, and in high school I had pretty low grades. But now, it's becoming quite a passion. I like to know how things happen, I like to be informed, to understand all the processes that go on around us. I guess that the teachers have a great influence on what subjects students like. I never liked my physics teacher...
@vidhyaprakash_2 (7116)
• India
20 Jun 12
Hi friend, i too hate maths in my school days. Luckily my wife take the responsibility of teaching lessons to kids and she it teaching all the lessons to them. Some times we are in need to do some unwanted things for our family members, there is nothing wrong in learning maths to teach your niece, so go ahead and learn it to teach well to your sister's kids
@Lauraleigh99 (4718)
• United States
19 Jun 12
I am the same with hating math. And I use to HATE the problems like Train A is going X amount of speed, train B is going Y amount of speed who arrives first. lol. But looking at my nephews math book I think it is a fun and cool way for kids to learn math and I can say maybe I miss it just a little bit
@toniganzon (72277)
• Philippines
20 Jun 12
I hated math when i was an elementary student. My teacher kept on comparing me to my sister and he would embarrass me in front of the class. That's why i didn't have the confidence to learn at all. But when i was in high school, i had a great teacher who made me think i was a math genius.
Now that i'm a mother, i don't teach my son math not because i don't like it or i lack much knowledge but my husband is more brilliant when it comes to that!
@Bhebelen14 (5194)
• Philippines
20 Jun 12
Yes I can relate to you, I am not good in math like some of my classmate during my high school and college maybe because I dont have focus and interest to learn it. But when I got married my husband taught me how to solve simple porblem in math and I found it exciting and easy because he explained to me everything and show me how to do it. If I only more focus during my school day maybe I can get high grade in math during that time.
@psychoartist (756)
• United States
20 Jun 12
hi mikyung! i can definitely relate! math has always been very difficult for me and i did not understand why! as a small child i would break out into hives all over my skin during math class and during math tests or have nose bleeds or both...i felt very frustrated because it seemed like a foreign language that everyone but me understood! in college i tried to take algebra five times, and i didn't give up until i finally passed...the professor had pity on me and stated she would pass me if i promised never to teach algebra! ha! i told her i never wanted to go near it again! when my son was in school i was very worried that he would be like me, but fortunately he blithely flew through all the maths! i also have a difficulty with transposing numbers and not being able to memorize numbers (like my address, phone number, etc) but no problem at all with words or facts...i learned in studying psychology that all those years i had a learning disorder called mathematics disorder which is listed in the psychiatric manual, the dsmIV! in a way i was relieved that it was not just me and that other people suffered from this and knew about it...i hope that children growing up today who are like me are able to get help in school and from teachers and doctors and not suffer like i did or feel like they are stupid and inadequate....i hope you have a great time teaching your pupils! i am glad you have overcome the math phobia!
@cfelsen (22)
• United States
19 Jun 12
When I was in junior high school, I used to be jealous of my math teacher because she had all the answers while I was struggling through the work. I thought that she just magically had the answers from a book, discounting the fact that she had to reason through math in the first place. As I began to appreciate math more, I realized the power of her understanding, and instead of jealousy, I had appreciation for how my new math understanding allowed me to operate more effectively in the world. I recommend finding ways to see math in your everyday world and relating the math problems you find to real life situations to make it more relevant and enjoyable.
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