Stupid Maths & Maths Teacher

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To begin with, I suck at maths. I have done all my life. My mind just doesn't function in the right way, I can't concentrate on something so boring, and I just do really badly.

However, I am in the gifted and talented class for maths. This is because that I am good at English, and okay at Science. At my school, these three subjects are grouped together, so whilst I am good at English, I can't be in the top class because I'm bad at maths, and whilst I should be in a low class for maths I can't because I'm good at English. The whole thing just strikes me as stupid.

At the beginning of term 2, I was asked by the DP whether I wanted to go down to a lower class. This was because I was struggling at maths, and they were worried about my self esteem. However, I didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. I had to stay in the top maths class because there was no way on earth that I was going to go down into a lower class for something I am so good at. I don't have any self esteem left after all the bullying anyway. So I was left struggling in the top class, where you get a lot less explination about stuff than the lower classes do.

Today, we got the results of last terms test back. As usual, I failed. I got 22%. Not a big deal for me, I'm used to it by now. However, what upset me was when the teacher said that because of the class's poor results, we have to now go back through the text book and redo all the questions we got wrong, this time getting the answers right. By friday.

The moment I got out of there I just burst into tears. Most people in there have to only redo one or two questions. I've got to go over 20. Looking back through the damn textbook isn't going to help, I just plain can't do this stupid stuff. I'm not going to learn anything by reading that boring peice of crap. I never asked to be in the G&T class for maths, and its not my fault I was put in here. If this school acutally had a good system, then I could be in a class where I actually know whats going on.

It's just not fair. Why should I have to suffer because I'm not as smart as these other people around me? My mum just says 'Get your brother to help you, that way it will be other and done with and you won't get in trouble' but thats her typical response to everything. She always gives the same old answers, gets angry at me when I try to tell her exactly how I feel, and today was no exception.

Now, I feel way to worked up over the whole thing to even consider doing the damn questions. Why should I have to? Its not my fault the way my mind works, and its not my fault that this stupid school has such a damn stupid system. I never pretended to be smart, and I never pretended to be good at it. I shouldn't in here, so why should I be punished because I'm simply not as clever as the people around me?

Maths stresses me out so much. Its too boring, to unimaginative. There is nothing interesting in it, nothing I am able to add my own spin to. In most subjects I concentrate by creating my own stories or characters or ideas related to what I'm mean't to be learning about. I history, I imagine what it would have been like to live as say, a native american indian. In Indonesian, I imagine I am acutally in Bali, traveling through the streets and everything. But maths is too boring, too unimaginative, too dull for me and my mind to accept the concept.

urgh, its just so unfair. I did the test once, and it was hell. Why should I have to do the whole thing again? ITS THE FIRST DAMN WEEK OF TERM, I AM TIRED AND EXHAUSTED AND I JUST LOOK FOWARD TO BEING AWAY FROM SCHOOL. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO SUFFER OUTSIDE OF THAT HELLHOLE ASWELL?

I know EXACTLY how you feel (about maths that is). I found it so restrictive and confining it was torturous to me. I am also an English person .

Combing Maths and English skill levels must be THE most imbecilic idea I've ever heard. They've got NOTHING in common. What was your school THINKING?

If I were you, I'd lodge a formal complaint. Rally a group together or something. Get signatures, make a protest. I've never heard of anything so stupid in all my life.

That does strike me as rather silly to be so inflexible, from one who is fairly good at maths but hopeless at English.

But that is just like school, unfair

(Bare with the first couple of paragraphs, they are leading to something) The system at your school sounds strange, though I remember more or less the same thing being so at my high school (England 1985-91). During the first 3 years I was regarded as very good at English, History and Art (I am now an artist of sorts), but indifferant at Maths and Science, and downright useless at Languages, Geography and Technology.

This meant that when it came time to choose the subjects to study to exam level in my final 2 years, it was decided that because of my over all academic level I wasn't aloud to study English at the higher level my English teacher believed I was capable of, and that I wasn't aloud to take Art or History at all. Instead I had to do Craft, Design and Technology and Local Studies, both subjects made up by the local education authority so the less gifted students could get a good grade at something.

On top of that I was regrected for the over-subscribed Computer Studies class despite knowing more about the darn things than anyone else ('cept D**** *******) in my class.

Guess I'm just trying to say that your experience isn't unique.

But what to do about it? Well, I'm approaching this from a total ignorance of the Australian education system. Is what you describe happening at all schools, or is it just school/local policy?

As such could your parents approach the headmaster (principle?) of the school and explain to them why they believe the system to be unfair. Failing that they could approach the school's govening body or even the local education authority (or Australian equivelant).

All that said, maybe this is just a situation you'll have to put up with. But remember that School is not the be all and end all of life, before you know it you'll be out of there, and you'll never have to go back.

As far as your school work is concerned it isn't worth getting stressed out over, just try your best and if you can't do it then so be it. If that makes your teachers angry then so what? They're the jerk, not you.

I was good in math but awful in what they call "English" (in the highest levels).
English is my first language but I always nearly flunked it and always got A's in Spanish!
I hated having to spend every waking moment of a week's vacation writing a 1000 word "English" paper on some random boring subject.

It's hard for me to imagine 20 questions in a week being that bad. Especially now that we all have internet access.

Maybe this site will help. "ASK DR. MATH"