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I'm taking algebra 2 and currently failing it. My ******* teacher won't let us use notes on the tests or even graphing calculators for some of the chapters. She keeps saying "I want you guys to actually learn this stuff."
I got an A in geometry last year, but that's only because we could use notes on the test. Grr, I really want to throat punch this teacher.
I know that I won't need about 90% of what I learn in school anyway. I've talked to plenty of people about it, high school grads, drop outs, and even college graduates. If only I was allowed to do online schooling; I'm so unhappy at public school.
I didn't really need algebra either until I had to help my kids with their homework. Sure was glad that I paid enough attention to learn what it was about.
Algebra 2 is pretty tough for a lot of people. As a math teacher, I think that it should not be required for graduation. But among educated people, algebra 2 is elementary, like you hopefully consider long division.
You can always get your GED and not take any classes that you don't need. Go ahead and start at a community college and get on with your life. If you need to learn algebra later on, you can. In fact, this is probably what will eventually happen. That's when you'll realize that you should have just sucked it up when you were in high school and learned it then, when you didn't have bills to pay and kids to feed.
That was harsh. But really, you have to step back and decide what you want for yourself five, ten, twenty years down the road. How do you want your life to be? Do you want to pay your own mortgage or pay your landlord's mortgage? Do you want your passion to be your work, or do you want your work to allow time and money for your passion? Are you willing to forgo having children until you are well-established in your professional life?
You are currently failing algebra 2, likely because you have not made yourself sit down and learn it well, to the point where you can write your notes from memory. Learning how to do that is even more important than mastering algebra 2. Developing that degree of self-discipline and applying it to a variety of rigorous academic subjects makes your smarter by developing your still-immature brain. That will be invaluable to you when you are an adult and can no longer learn in the same way.
If you heard someone else say what you said, you would hear that he was whining. Go have a long talk with 35-year-old CDuser and see what he has to say about high school in general and algebra 2 in particular.
I know many, many people who have had to pay good money in their twenties, thirties, and forties to learn the algebra they could have learned in high school. These are mostly music-industry people who decided to go back to school once they had kids and no longer lived the rock and roll lifestyle. It's difficult, but doable.
Find out what the requirements are for GED testing and home-schooling in your area. It's possible that you could finish your requirements and go on to a more relevant program at a community college. What is it that you want to do, anyway? How do you know for certain that you won't need a high school education?
You never know what you'll need or won't need in life. And if you'd never been exposed to algebra you'd never have had the opportunity to know if it was something you loved or not. Apparently a future in math is probably not in the cards, but it's still possible that you'll find something from your class relevant down the road. Even if not, struggling through it is still something you sometimes have to do, even if the main relevance for your future is to prove that you did it so that you can move on to the next stage in life (college, work, whatever).
I don't think I've used much of my high school math in life, but I've certainly used the lessons learned through doing it -- learning how to tackle tough subjects, how to think about things in a different way, etc. -- in life, and if I only used ten percent of what I learned in high school as an adult than I think I would be a boring (and bored) and unsuccessful person. Not that I'm quoting Macbeth on a regular basis or mixing up chemicals, but at least I have a general foundation of basics that all educated adults really should at least have some familiarity with in this society.
When it comes right down to it there's not a lot of things that you really NEED for life, but your life will be a lot better if you do have them. If taking a class you dislike is what you have to do to graduate and move on to something you like better, then so be it. And learning what you don't like can be useful, too.
Although you may not use Algebra in your everyday life, learning Algebra allows you to think at a higher level of abstraction. For most people, math isn't used everyday. But advance math allows you to view the world in a whole new light. Without advance math, there are certain problems that you may not even realize that they are problems let attempting to solve them.
If you want to just get by in life, I don't really see a problem with just passing classes. But if you truly want to make a difference in this life, you need the intellectual curiosity to seek out new knowledge all the time. By knowing more about the world, you'll know more about its problems. And once you know the problems, you can begin to create solutions.
I'm an engineer. I've taken fairly advance math (compared to most people). I don't think I do true math at all anymore. But by knowing math, I can see solutions that other people cannot.
I'm taking algebra 2 and currently failing it. My ******* teacher won't let us use notes on the tests or even graphing calculators for some of the chapters. She keeps saying "I want you guys to actually learn this stuff."
I got an A in geometry last year, but that's only because we could use notes on the test. Grr, I really want to throat punch this teacher.
I know that I won't need about 90% of what I learn in school anyway. I've talked to plenty of people about it, high school grads, drop outs, and even college graduates. If only I was allowed to do online schooling; I'm so unhappy at public school.
Why blame others for your inadequacies? Substance, character, perseverance, overcoming adversity, exhibiting discipline in mastering difficult subject matter. These ARE qualities you WILL need in life. Develop them by changing YOUR attitude, buckling down, and studying, studying, and studying.
If you can't get 90%, it's because you didn't study hard enough. Motivate yourself. That's not the teacher's job.
I was never allowed to use notes for a test. A test is to assess what you have learned and retained in the class. This is a good gauge for the teacher to see where he/she needs to touch on again, what her/his students are actually retaining, and where he/she may need to alter the lesson.
As a teacher, let me tell you this: You really don't know what you will be needing down the road. I'm an art teacher.... and I use math all the time.
Plus-- if you don't study, don't work hard, etc... don't blame your teacher. That is all on you, not them.
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