Screw Math
In the blink of an eye, the end of the first semester has begun to come to an end. I have begun to navigate my way across the halls with ease. I know all of my teachers by name, and I even have begun to familiarize myself with the many different entertainment institutions of the school. When I was told to select a meme that best described by college experience, I immediately thought of my math class. Not only is it my hardest class, and one where I do the most studying, but it is also unfortunately my worst class. I am currently around a B- average, which is in stark contrast to my As in the other classes. Although I have already taken Calculus in my previous year, I find myself staring blankly at the whiteboard in Professor Reich’s class, hoping for a miracle to hit me and help me understand the hieroglyphic scribbles that I am expected to decipher. I am not alone in this conquest. My fellow classmates, also many of which have taken calculus before, find themselves struggling to stay afloat in our math class. I always believed that I was good at math. This narcissism some may call it, was greatly weakened upon my entering into high school, however I still managed to retain most of my confidence in the field. In the short 3 months that I have spent with Professor Reich, I have found that original cockiness to diminish into incoherent babble. Every time i see “x”, I die a little bit on the inside. Some may even say I have now become a math-phobe. Any joy I had previously had for the subject has very well been run into the ground and trampled on. I am not a math major, and I rejoice at the fact that I will never again in my college life have to put myself through the torture of a math class in this school. furthermore, I have been informed by multiple upperclassmen that the whole math department is known for its sub-par professors. this makes me cry on the inside for all those that wish to pursue mathematics in Baruch College. Perhaps I am overstating the apparent lack of professionalism in the math department in this school, and maybe I am not trying hard enough. I do agree with the fact that the teacher is responsible to only a certain extent, and that the majority of responsibility for learning and studying the subject matter lies with the student. However with that being said I do believe myself to be doing my part. Despite my efforts however I still find myself in the dark. I no longer learn math in school. Instead I have found academic solace in YouTube videos, specifically Khan Academy, which has been my best friend for my last test and 3 quizzes. Looking forward, I only have 3 more weeks left of math, however in those few weeks lies a test, several quizzes, and dozens of painful class hours. The math struggle in this school is real.
