Math and Me

My name is Alexxis Molinar and I am entering my senior year at the University of La Verne. I am an education major and I am studying to be a Special Education teacher. I am not the type of person who likes to share information publicly, so I am not quite sure how I feel about this assignment my professor gave me. This assignment is for my Math in the 21st Century class. He asked that I share my feelings and attitudes about math and math instruction, so here it goes. Math is a personal nemesis of mine. I have struggled with math my entire school career. I have spent countless hours trying to figure out why I cringe and get nauseous when I hear the word math. I think it all boils down to I just don’t understand it. Yes, I can do the basic – add, subtract, multiply and divide but after that it has no meaning to me. I am not going to lie, my instructors I have had in math have been dull and boring. Math became a chore to learn instead of being exciting like my other subjects. This past summer I barely passed College Algebra with a C+. I must admit the professor was the best I have ever had, but it was like too little too late in my book. Honestly, I don’t understand the purpose of me learning higher level math.  The only time I like math is when there is a dollar sign in front of the number. My goal for this class is to develop an overall better attitude towards math. I want to learn how to present math to my students in a fun, interesting and obtainable way. I want to ensure my math lessons are developmentally appropriate for the students I plan on working with. I really hope my professor can help me, because I need it. My math struggles are real!