As I had observed my growth in Math, I started to believe growth mindset. My teachers called me a ‘spastic’ since I could not understand what they explained to me. Therefore, I even regarded myself as an idiot in math no matter how I was brilliant in other subjects. However, I experienced significant growth in math so, I am teaching math to my friends from time to time in this college. As Carol Dweck presented at TED talk, brain really rearrange our way of thinking, when people keep facing with hard problems which people cannot solve. I am one of those cases which obtained acquired math talent. Before, I took a college entrance exam in Korea, I usually got half of incorrect in every other math tests. However, when I tried really hard for a month, after the result I got was impressive. I got only three incorrect out of 30 problems.
Therefore, no matter how math is hard, I believe I can get over it. Even though from time to time, new notions of math are extremely hard, I try as many time as I can, so that I will get used to it. As long as I have overcome with my weakest part, I begin to not give up easily. Moreover, this mindset contributes a lot in solving math, because half of people who cannot solve math problems are usually being scared even before they try. However, I try to solve one problem as many times as I can, until I do not know what to do anymore. Therefore, I can say I accomplished success because of my patience in solving hard problems. It thrills me, when I think my math how I got better than before, thus it is valuable for me to invest my times in solving hard problems and stick to math. Some people tell me I am smart since I teach my friends math. However, I think different. I do not consider myself as a smart person. I just achieved successes in math because I attempted to the extent that I got a certain degree of skill. It is just about believe their own potentials and keep trying hard or not; and if people experience good grades in their exams or sense their improvements in math, they consider solving math is valuable for them and start to make math as relevant to their lives. I was called as an idiot to all my math teachers, and especially my math teacher from my high school told me succeed my mom’s restaurants since I am not smart enough to study even though my dream was lawyer. However, as overcoming prejudice, I am proving that I can do math to everyone who said no to me. It stands for everyone else can do it!! I hope people who are bad in math will be encouraged by my words .
1 Comment
Corinna
10/14/2016 08:04:57 pm
Thank you for sharing your experience. I encountered similar issues with math. In fourth grade I had a teacher who said that I’d never get it, and that math just wasn’t what girls are good at. End of story. Unfortunately, I believed him, and this belief held me back for a very long time. For years I was convinced that it was pointless for me to attend college because I would fail in math anyway. During the 15 years since I graduated high school (and yes, I must have had a guardian angel with me on the day of my final math exam), I was able to succeed in a number of challenges. They didn’t necessarily have to do with math, but based on those accomplishments I was more open to the idea that I could potentially be successful with math as well. This semester (my first one as a college student), one of my courses is a remedial math course. I never imagined that I would finish a three months course in as little as four weeks, but I did. Like you, I don’t necessarily think I’m smart, either, but I did not give up trying to solve the problems again and again until I found a way that worked for me. I think it’s great that you did not give up despite the negative comments your teachers had about you. Keep up the good work and dedication and never lose faith that you can accomplish your goals!
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Jacob (Chan Woo Kim)
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