Math has always been my most challenging subject. Unlike English or even Spanish, I’ve always had to go the extra mile. Last year, in Algebra 2, I faced my greatest challenge I have yet to experience with math. At the beginning of the year everything always starts off kind of smooth, which is exactly how this went. The second quarter, is where it all began. We were learning about polynomials and how they function in relationships. It seemed as if everything was going extremely fast and I was getting further behind. Right then, I knew that something had to be done. My mom found a math teacher who also tutored on the side and was very efficient in many different areas. She was an experienced math teacher and extremely knowledgeable. However, when I showed her assignments from my class she was clueless. Yes, you read that correctly, clueless. She did not know what to do whatsoever and displayed the same confused look I had become so comfortable with myself. Although she wasn’t familiar with what it was that I was learning, we played around with it by using websites and the information I had gathered from math class. Two hours or so later we had solved all the practice problems I brought with me and some more. It was literally the best feeling ever knowing that I had gotten better at what I once considered an obstacle! In math class, a few days later, the teacher handed out a test entitled “The Function of Polynomials”. My hands were shaky, palms sweaty, I was so nervous. I solved the problems thoroughly making sure I worked carefully and with accuracy. The following Friday, she handed back the test. I was shaking uncontrollably. My test was placed on my desk faced down, and my heart immediately sunk. I carefully bent back the edge of paper revealing the first number of the grade, a 9. I flipped the paper completely, and a 95 was before me. I could not believe it, I was so happy! From this experience, I was able to realize that by pushing yourself a little harder you can overcome any struggle. Even though math has always been a subject that has been challenging, I now have the knowledge and skills to overcome the struggle.
