Every year, for as long as I can remember, I remained a straight-A student in math. I was in honors math classes, performing at high levels, and always being the student who was tutoring others in math- making sure they were comfortable with the material like I was. I was the model math student until it was time for geometry. I’ve always heard that girls lose interest in STEM by middle school; I desperately wanted to beat the status quo. My experience in geometry tested my love and passion for mathematics. I found myself less interested in solving equations and focused more on being accepted by a teacher who struggled to build relationships with students. Math always came to me so easily, but the climate of the classroom caused me to grapple. I struggled because I wasn’t intrigued by her teaching style or her approach. Because she told me that I wasn’t ‘honors material’, I began to doubt myself; wondering if math was really one of my true strengths because my confidence faded. First quarter examinations resulted in Fs and Ds. I was left to feeling inadequate. My first semester grades were so low, there was no way I would finish the year with an A average. At that moment, I promised myself that I would strive to work harder and do whatever possible to raise my grade. I finally realized that I would be faced with different personalities and teaching styles. I couldn’t let this get in the way of what I loved. I started attending the Learning Resource Center, a tutoring center with college students from a local university and began to grow a genuine bond with other math teachers, to feel more comfortable. I also studied non-stop at home, watching Khan Academy and various YouTube videos when I needed a different interpretation of the material. I was determined to prove to my teacher that I can succeed, even though she thought otherwise. After going through all of those study sessions and internet videos, I nervously attempted my next geometry test. The result was a 108 A and every examination after that was no lower than an A. To this day, I am proud that I was able to overcome my struggle in geometry by being so resilient. My love for math has not gone away because of the challenge that I faced.
