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I hate algebra 2 with a burning passion

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xxSkull_Princessxx
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09 May 2023, 11:52 pm

The title pretty much explains it all. I absolutely hate how I'm forced to take algebra 2 as a high school graduation requirement and the thing that really threw me over the edge here is the fact that my teacher decided to give my class a ridiculously hard project as our final instead of a regular exam (which would've been much easier for me to cheat through than the project). Not only do we have to start the poster board project with an opening joke (literally the only easy part about the project), we have to write and solve 5 algebra problems and we have to solve each and every single problem WITHOUT any help from our notes or anything like that. >:(

I've had enough of this complicated and confusing class. I just hope I'll pass this class with a D- or higher (I'd be lucky to even get that) just so I can get my 5 credits for this stupid course at the end of the semester and so I hopefully won't have to do any mathematics beyond arithmetic (which I already struggle with and am slow at) ever again after this month.


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10 May 2023, 12:21 am

I had to take Algebra I again because the first time just did not 'take'.

The second time, everything 'clicked', and I breezed through the course.

I blame the first teacher, who would rather lecture me for 10 minutes on why I should be able to figure things out for myself (like the other students) instead of spending 30 seconds explaining something I did not understand.

The second teacher was the head of the maths department.

For your amusement, here is one of my favorite algebra cartoons:

Image


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10 May 2023, 12:23 am

You can't use your notes for a project? That's idiotic. What the hell are notes for then if you can't go over them to help you with a big assignment?



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14 May 2023, 11:06 am

xxSkull_Princessxx wrote:
The title pretty much explains it all. I absolutely hate how I'm forced to take algebra 2 as a high school graduation requirement and the thing that really threw me over the edge here is the fact that my teacher decided to give my class a ridiculously hard project as our final instead of a regular exam (which would've been much easier for me to cheat through than the project). Not only do we have to start the poster board project with an opening joke (literally the only easy part about the project), we have to write and solve 5 algebra problems and we have to solve each and every single problem WITHOUT any help from our notes or anything like that. >:(

I've had enough of this complicated and confusing class. I just hope I'll pass this class with a D- or higher (I'd be lucky to even get that) just so I can get my 5 credits for this stupid course at the end of the semester and so I hopefully won't have to do any mathematics beyond arithmetic (which I already struggle with and am slow at) ever again after this month.

This is pretty dumb, and I'm not even sure how a teacher got a license if this is being handed to students. And yes, that's objectively true, I spent 2 years of grad school learning why this kind of assignment shouldn't ever be given to students. (And that would still be true if they were NT)

Probably the only even marginally helpful thing I can say, is don't bother with fancy. Write the simplest equations that satisfy the requirements, and that may be the best you can do. The whole thing is dumb, but it's part of your grade and if you don't have accommodations in place, there's probably not much that can be done about it now.



Texasmoneyman300
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22 May 2023, 6:48 pm

xxSkull_Princessxx wrote:
The title pretty much explains it all. I absolutely hate how I'm forced to take algebra 2 as a high school graduation requirement and the thing that really threw me over the edge here is the fact that my teacher decided to give my class a ridiculously hard project as our final instead of a regular exam (which would've been much easier for me to cheat through than the project). Not only do we have to start the poster board project with an opening joke (literally the only easy part about the project), we have to write and solve 5 algebra problems and we have to solve each and every single problem WITHOUT any help from our notes or anything like that. >:(

I've had enough of this complicated and confusing class. I just hope I'll pass this class with a D- or higher (I'd be lucky to even get that) just so I can get my 5 credits for this stupid course at the end of the semester and so I hopefully won't have to do any mathematics beyond arithmetic (which I already struggle with and am slow at) ever again after this month.

I hated Algebra 2 too when I was in school.It was hard for me.



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22 May 2023, 7:35 pm

Some math teachers just can't teach math despite their own understanding of it. I had to re-take algebra, but once I had a different teacher I was fine...I needed more instruction in theory rather than the mechanics of it before it made sense to me.



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24 May 2023, 7:26 pm

DanielW wrote:
Some math teachers just can't teach math despite their own understanding of it. I had to re-take algebra, but once I had a different teacher I was fine...I needed more instruction in theory rather than the mechanics of it before it made sense to me.

I tried, but getting a license is rather rigged in favor of people that are fun, rather than actually good at either teaching or math. Which is unfortunate, because algebra 2 involves a lot of math that people do need in order to fully participate in society.

It takes years to really understand the subject enough to properly teach it.



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24 May 2023, 7:35 pm

absolutely - those who can teach Math, (and most STEM-related subjects) don't tend to to do well in the academic arena because they don't tend to handle the politics that surround academia very well, or simply don't wish to engage in it.



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25 May 2023, 10:14 am

DanielW wrote:
absolutely - those who can teach Math, (and most STEM-related subjects) don't tend to to do well in the academic arena because they don't tend to handle the politics that surround academia very well, or simply don't wish to engage in it.


I agree with your statement. Education is always full of drama. There is a balancing act that has to be done to keep teaching. Just being a good teacher is not enough. You also have to please the administration and department heads. Cross one by accident and your job will be over at the end of the school year unless you have tenure protection.

Dealing with the drama takes away from the ability to teach others because it is distracting. It is easy for some to lose sight on the goal of teaching students well, rather than to check off a list of duties to do that day.



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04 Jun 2023, 11:48 am

Khan academy
Tutoring

Side note: "there is a thin fan between love and hate.

Love and hate are not opposites. Love and hate are similar in that they are strong things that cause people to make statements and actions that are not rational, and that they often later regret



Grammar Geek
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04 Jun 2023, 9:45 pm

Good luck. I had a tutor and studied my ass off in that class in high school, and I still failed it. I didn’t know at the time that my left hippocampus hadn’t developed and thus caused an impairment in my ability to retain information without a “trigger” like multiple choice. I was angry that I had spent all my years of high school studying twice as hard as everyone else in math and still failing without knowing why. I figured I wasn’t studying “correctly.” But no, I just had a damned brain issue.



edlexNeo
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27 Oct 2023, 8:36 am

MatchboxVagabond wrote:
xxSkull_Princessxx wrote:
The title pretty much explains it all. I absolutely hate how I'm forced to take algebra 2 as a high school graduation requirement and the thing that really threw me over the edge here is the fact that my teacher decided to give my class a ridiculously hard project as our final instead of a regular exam (which would've been much easier for me to cheat through than the project). Not only do we have to start the poster board project with an opening joke (literally the only easy part about the project), we have to write and solve 5 algebra problems and we have to solve each and every single problem WITHOUT any help from our notes or anything like that. >:( I'd rather pay someone to do my assignment. Becoming a mathematician has never been my goal, and I think basic math operations like addition, multiplication, and such would be enough. For homework, I have https://essays.edubirdie.com/do-my-assignment, but they want to organize exams for us as well. This whole situation is driving me crazy and making me grind my teeth. I've had enough of this complicated and confusing class. I just hope I'll pass this class with a D- or higher (I'd be lucky to even get that) just so I can get my 5 credits for this stupid course at the end of the semester and so I hopefully won't have to do any mathematics beyond arithmetic (which I already struggle with and am slow at) ever again after this month.

This is pretty dumb, and I'm not even sure how a teacher got a license if this is being handed to students. And yes, that's objectively true, I spent 2 years of grad school learning why this kind of assignment shouldn't ever be given to students. (And that would still be true if they were NT)

Probably the only even marginally helpful thing I can say, is don't bother with fancy. Write the simplest equations that satisfy the requirements, and that may be the best you can do. The whole thing is dumb, but it's part of your grade and if you don't have accommodations in place, there's probably not much that can be done about it now.



Many times I've seen people working as teachers who understand their subject but can't convey it to others. My last college professor just wrote something on the board for a long time, mumbling to himself, and it seems like he wasn't interested in whether we understood what was happening there at all.