Math – HELP!

Posted on | December 27, 2009 | No Comments

Well, I remember my school days well. I have to be honest: math was always one of my better subjects but I found it boring and not exciting at all. Fortunately, it came naturally enough where I didn’t need to study that frequently. I credit that “ease” of learning to my teachers. They did a great job of explaining the step by step in the classroom.

I have a lot of friends that were not as fortunate with their teachers. Let me say for the record that it is critical that you build a strong foundation with math. It continues to build over the years. If you do not get a strong foundation with Algebra, you are setting yourself up for failure in Calculus, Physics, Chemistry and Engineering. Algebra is the transition from dealing with numbers to dealing with theory. I remember thinking, what are these letters in my equation? If you are having trouble with Algebra or have a son/daughter that is struggling, please get them some help immediately. It doesn’t get easier. With the explosion of the internet, there is help everywhere. There are online tutors that offer algebra help. Since Algebra is the ground floor basics for many levels of advanced mathematics and sciences.

One of the things I struggled with was word problems but I did seek out friends and tutors. For whatever reason, I just wanted to see numbers. I didn’t like to see paragraphs on my math tests. It was a personal mental block.  Like anything, it’s important to practice your algebra word problems and math word problems. With practice, I learned how to re-write my paragraphs into equations. This revelation helped me apply math to some real world practical applications as well. It led me to probability which I’ve used extensively in my adult life!

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