I really don't want this week to be a repeat of last week but I didn't get any exercise in last night and I'm pretty upset about it. I did so poorly on last week's math exams that I decided to go back and redo all of the practice exams we've had in the class so far from the very beginning. It won't change my existing grade but by redoing them I am hoping to better prepare myself for these last three weeks of class. My retention is just horrible! I did some of these problems three or four weeks ago and aced them, yet here I am now barely able to remember how to work them. That's what is really killing me on these tests. It's not the new stuff that we just learned last week that I'm doing poorly at, it's the stuff we learned five weeks ago that they popped in to the last 10-15 questions of the exam. I have always had this problem and this is not my first time doing algebra but I can't remember squat when it comes to math. I remember that we did some of these things when I was in grade school and I also remember that I did very well with them then. Then I remember doing problems like this on multiple occasions as I prepped for the GED test, which I did three or four times before I finally just went and signed up to take it. We also did this kind of math during my first stint in college and now here I am doing it again. You would think that I would be able to remember it but nope. The problems look familiar but the functions and how to solve them is just something that I can't find anywhere in my memory.
So here I am learning how to do something and when I first learn it I do really well with it. I'm smart enough to learn math but my retention period seems to max out at a week or two. The worst part is that I have an advanced algebra class after this one and I don't feel at all ready for it. *sigh* At least my ethics class is insanely easy and I've got straight A's in it because that gives me more time to hug the math grindstone.
So last night after work I made supper and after supper I hit the books. I pretty much studied until bed time and am only done with the first week's practice exams. Tonight is softball and I really want to sit and watch the games like I did last week but, at the same time, I want to exercise tonight because I need to make up for last week's 1/2 lb gain and start making some progress. Tonight's games are early games though so maybe I can watch the games and then exercise after softball when we get home. I dunno but it's bitter cold this morning. I sure wish the weather would decide which season we're in.
Food:
8 glasses of water
1 cup of coffee w/creamer
1 Fiber One bar
1 Healthy Choice lunch (margarita chicken, YUM)
1 chicken burger w/pico
>>onion
>>mustard
1 serving baked fries
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Daily Caloric Intake: 1,192
Activity:
Walking: 1 mile (2,312 steps)
"Hug the grindstone."
ReplyDeleteI will keep that image for ever! Here's wishing you the best with math. School can be a real butt-head sometimes.
I'm actually impressed that you're managing to school and diet at the same time. The extra stress always shot my goals all to hell. . . (shivers with memories).
Cheers! Hazzah! Keep going! (Imagine pom-poms.)
I've been thinking about you since I read your post this morning and while making breakfast for my husband I had a thought about learning styles. Your learning style might be one of "hands on" rather than studying. Do you have to do it rather than read it? I think you need to work some problems of the kind you are studying when trying to recall the method. You may be able to go to a nearby high school or perhaps your teacher would have some older math books you could borrow for this purpose. I know sometimes the answers are in the back of the book or the teacher you borrow from may also have the teacher's edition with the answers in it. Your honey could grade your papers!!
ReplyDeleteKi: You with pom-poms ... that is an image that I will keep forever! :) I'm one of those people that, if I get really into something, it completely distracts me from everything else, including food. When I did math for 6 hours the other night the world was invisible to me. I didn't eat, drink ... nothing. 6 hours actually went by really fast. Remember when I read Euclid cover to cover for Mr. Henke's class at GW in one night! Yeah ... sometimes school helps with the diet because it allows me to forget to snack/nibble. lol
ReplyDeleteDownsizers: I am hands on and there is a lot of practice work so that we can do the problems. My schooling is all online and in every class I've had so far that's been the perfect learning style for me because I like to work at my own pace and get frustrated in traditional classroom settings but the trouble I'm having with this class is that the online tutorials don't necessarily break down every tiny step and I can't raise my hand when a + turns into a - to ask why. Why is big with me, I think that's why math has always been hard for me. When something doesn't have a why I can't wrap my head around it. Like why is the grass green? I know there's a reason but I don't know what it is and when I was a kid and my dad said "because it just is" that drove me nuts for DAYS! lol
To update everyone: I went through a practice problem that reminded me that when a math problem has brackets, and when there's a - sign in front of those brackets you have to turn all - into + and all + into - before you can remove the brackets. Suddenly the problems that have been kicking my ass for a week made TOTAL SENSE! lol Wish I could retake that test I had last week!
You know - now that you mention not being able to ask questions there is a university that has math majors answering questions on the phone - seems like it is MIT or something. I heard it on the radio I think but they were talking about having students available to answer math questions on the phone. I don't know if you can google and find it or not. I wish I could recall where it was. If I think of it or find it I'll get back with you.
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