The pictures went a long way in making Julie's point clear. I liked the basic analogies like "the crystal" but I think she could have explained it a little more. But overall it's a good overview and introduction to the class for non-math lovers.
Reading this was like total deja vu for me. When I was younger I definitely felt similarly, but at some point I realized that it was just because I couldn't understand it when it was presented as abstract equations. In high school I was gifted with a wonderful math teacher who explained why the equations worked and related them to real life. After that, it seemed less like a foreign language.
Reading Julia's Nightmare was comforting and inspiring. We all have obstacles that we must overcome, some are mental, some are emotional, some are physical, and some can be spiritual. I have always struggled with math. Luckily, I have had teachers who would be more than happy to bring the concepts to my level of understanding. However, I would not say I love, or even like math. If someone like Julia can overcome her fear and frustrations of math, and become a stronger person, then it gives me hope that I can do the same. I liked how she used pictures that spoke to her to illustrate what she how she felt about math and her new wisdom; it really did help bring her message out clearer.
Julia's piece is pretty familiar. I haven't taken a math class since tenth grade and prior to that we had a disturbing relationship. I wouldn't understand, then I would get upset, and eventually I would give up. I felt that I hated math. Now, with film, there is a lot of math involved on the technical side. I understand it mostly because I like what it applies too. Also, since moving off-campus sophomore year and going abroad so much I have had to do a lot of budgeting, converting, etc, which I don't mind that much. I don't think I am bad at math in real world situations, but still the idea of taking a math class again, after so long, is daunting.
Julie's piece is a familiar story to me as well. When I was younger my stepdad (who loves math and really wanted me to love math) would attempt to unearth the mysteries of my hw with me at our kitchen table but, like Julie, I would often end up in tears or really frustrated. I haven't taken an actual math course since high school - probably since completing the required tenth grade trig class - and I haven't really wanted to go back since. As a writing major I have been able to avoid math pretty easily but my outside fields of env. studies and photo have forced me to become involved with the subject again. I think that when I can apply math to the tangible, like changing shutter speeds for example,or applying numbers to zebra mussel statistics or something, I can understand it more clearly. I think that this class is good for most of us here because it seems we are all a little frustrated and mostly afraid of what we know of math, but maybe we just have to see it in a different way.
When reading Julia's Nightmare, I felt I was reading something I had written myself. All throughout school I have had trouble in math, and have always had to go to my father for help. However hard he tried, I always felt more frustrated by the end of our conversation than I had at the beginning. It is inspiring and reassuring to see that someone who was as frustrated with math as I am currently was able to take this course and come out of it with an altered perception and new respect for the world of mathematics.
The pictures gave me a good idea of how Julia felt. I feel the same way about math. I have so many problems with it. Hopefully I will be as lucky as her and start to understand it this semester.
I think my problem with math was more of a result of boredom rather than not being able to understand much of it. It's a good feeling to solve a problem that has been taking a lot of time and thought, but I think I need to find the willpower to actually do it, and hope this class can help.
The pictures were very dramatic representations of the inner struggle Julia felt when dealing with math. Though the graphic content of some images seemed melodramatic at first, by reading her whole story, struggle she dealt with every day obviously affected her quite dramatically (she said she'd frequently run off to her room and cry). I think it's quite an honor that this sole class was attributed to her growth in learning math and seeing it less as a personal demon. Likewise, it's very encouraging to know that Julia could find something as simple as this class to completely alter her view and ability to tackle the math as a discipline both academically and personally.
I could fully relate to Julia's math-induced-stress. I have struggled with math since I was young. Very early on in life, I got the idea in my head that I was somehow "bad" at math. I immediately put myself at a disadvantage when I approach any math with this negative mind set. Clearly Julia overcame some of her math related fears. I hope to do the same.
All throughout high school I never struggled with math and was even in a few honors courses. I never really enjoyed it, but I found that if I put a little effort in I would do just fine. Once I came to college I pretty much wrote math out of my life. Last year I found out that I had to take a math course to fufill a requirement. I didnt take it seriously and I started to fail simple quizzes and tests. I started to feel the exact same way that Julia describes feeling. By the end of the course I eeked out a C, but was at all happy about it. I hope that this class will be able to give me a renewed view on math, so that I can enjoy it again.
I feel that this story didn't necessarily have to be about math. It could have other applications and what I took from it was to conquer fears with some ideal ["crystal"] in mind.
Math and I have always had a difficult relationship, my parents never really got on me about doing homework when I was young so I pretty much failed every math class I took until my first year of high school. Then I had this one teacher, Mr. Shaw, and he scared the hell out of me. I made sure to try hard from then on and found out that math isn't so bad, but I feel for Julia and hope that after this class I'll feel more positive towards math as well.
Math for me, like so many others here, was always kind of a similar nightmare to Julia's. I don't think it kept me up at night with gruesome images such as those, but the concepts of math always seemed to be entirely intangible to me... completely out of my grasp. Many times the experience I had with math, was as if the harder I tried to grasp it, the farther away it seemed. I haven't taken a math class since high school and I always managed to keep my distance in college through my majors of music recording and english.
Math is alot like life. True satisfaction comes from those break trhough "aha" moments. One great example of this is when i was a kid. I tried forever to see those magic eye things. I used to think it was just something people made up to make me feel dumb. Then one day, it just clicked for me, then i can see them in an insatant. I felt like a god.
I thought this Julia & The Dragon story was funny and made it seem like What is Math? is going to be an interesting course and worth while. I remember being in middle school and high school and staying up late and getting so frustrated with subjects like math and science. I just didn't get it and didn't want to bother with it. Julia's story was funny. Maybe we should all make something like it when we are done with the class. See if our perspective of math changed like Julia's. I think mine already has. I like the Golden Ratio thing.
I'm feeling much calmer about this course after reading Julia's Nightmare. Some of what she said completely echoed my past experiences with math. In high school, my dad would help me study for a math test, spending hours attempting to explain how certain problems worked out. But I just couldn't seem to grasp the concepts he understood so clearly. I feel relieved that Julia obviously had similar experiences and frustrations, but that this course changed her view and feelings towards math.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I liked the hand in the jar, it was a little over the top but when it comes to Math pressure it fits right in. I think my issue with math is that I had really bad math teachers, one teacher is particular would even throw away our homework! I just wish math in high school taught life skill things like balancing a check book, even maybe all the credit card hoop la, and perhaps have investing really is? Exsactly? I enjoy Dani's attitude about math more than i have ever enjoyed a class before. I also think it is great that we have a blog, it is so trendy.
I completely understand how she felt about math. In highschool I struggled every day with my math classes, and it was like a huge weight had been lifted after I was done with the really difficult ones like pre-calc and calculus (not really my thing). I hope this class can help me to achieve a better understanding/relationship with math such as the one that she was able to reach.
That about sums it up for me too!!! • Actually, I hate math (nothing personal to anyone). • Math scares me too. • My 11th grade math teacher scared me more. She didn’t really care for people who didn’t like math. Needless to say, she didn’t care for me. She loved (so to speak) my brother though. He is a Senior at RPI in engineering and he is a math genius. • Picture this: Almost every night, dining room table... Math lessons start with my “tutor (dad) ... He always meant well... Soon though would lose patience... Didn’t like it when I started to laugh at his facial contortions, trying to get me to get math... Go figure... Not long, the tears would start. • That, to me, was math. The only picture I would need though is the dining room table.
I enjoyed reading Julia's blog. I like how she created something artistic to depict her battle with math. The images were great! As for myself, I've noticed a lot of my insecurities come up when I'm confronted with Math. I've used my struggles with Math to understand myself better, because it reveals things about me that I don't usually see. For me to really do Math well, I have to work on clarity, pace, anxiety and a lot of other issues.
28 comments:
The pictures went a long way in making Julie's point clear. I liked the basic analogies like "the crystal" but I think she could have explained it a little more. But overall it's a good overview and introduction to the class for non-math lovers.
Reading this was like total deja vu for me. When I was younger I definitely felt similarly, but at some point I realized that it was just because I couldn't understand it when it was presented as abstract equations. In high school I was gifted with a wonderful math teacher who explained why the equations worked and related them to real life. After that, it seemed less like a foreign language.
Reading Julia's Nightmare was comforting and inspiring. We all have obstacles that we must overcome, some are mental, some are emotional, some are physical, and some can be spiritual. I have always struggled with math. Luckily, I have had teachers who would be more than happy to bring the concepts to my level of understanding. However, I would not say I love, or even like math. If someone like Julia can overcome her fear and frustrations of math, and become a stronger person, then it gives me hope that I can do the same. I liked how she used pictures that spoke to her to illustrate what she how she felt about math and her new wisdom; it really did help bring her message out clearer.
Julia's piece is pretty familiar. I haven't taken a math class since tenth grade and prior to that we had a disturbing relationship. I wouldn't understand, then I would get upset, and eventually I would give up. I felt that I hated math. Now, with film, there is a lot of math involved on the technical side. I understand it mostly because I like what it applies too. Also, since moving off-campus sophomore year and going abroad so much I have had to do a lot of budgeting, converting, etc, which I don't mind that much. I don't think I am bad at math in real world situations, but still the idea of taking a math class again, after so long, is daunting.
Julie's piece is a familiar story to me as well. When I was younger my stepdad (who loves math and really wanted me to love math) would attempt to unearth the mysteries of my hw with me at our kitchen table but, like Julie, I would often end up in tears or really frustrated. I haven't taken an actual math course since high school - probably since completing the required tenth grade trig class - and I haven't really wanted to go back since. As a writing major I have been able to avoid math pretty easily but my outside fields of env. studies and photo have forced me to become involved with the subject again. I think that when I can apply math to the tangible, like changing shutter speeds for example,or applying numbers to zebra mussel statistics or something, I can understand it more clearly. I think that this class is good for most of us here because it seems we are all a little frustrated and mostly afraid of what we know of math, but maybe we just have to see it in a different way.
When reading Julia's Nightmare, I felt I was reading something I had written myself. All throughout school I have had trouble in math, and have always had to go to my father for help. However hard he tried, I always felt more frustrated by the end of our conversation than I had at the beginning. It is inspiring and reassuring to see that someone who was as frustrated with math as I am currently was able to take this course and come out of it with an altered perception and new respect for the world of mathematics.
The pictures gave me a good idea of how Julia felt. I feel the same way about math. I have so many problems with it. Hopefully I will be as lucky as her and start to understand it this semester.
I think my problem with math was more of a result of boredom rather than not being able to understand much of it. It's a good feeling to solve a problem that has been taking a lot of time and thought, but I think I need to find the willpower to actually do it, and hope this class can help.
The pictures were very dramatic representations of the inner struggle Julia felt when dealing with math. Though the graphic content of some images seemed melodramatic at first, by reading her whole story, struggle she dealt with every day obviously affected her quite dramatically (she said she'd frequently run off to her room and cry). I think it's quite an honor that this sole class was attributed to her growth in learning math and seeing it less as a personal demon. Likewise, it's very encouraging to know that Julia could find something as simple as this class to completely alter her view and ability to tackle the math as a discipline both academically and personally.
I could fully relate to Julia's math-induced-stress. I have struggled with math since I was young. Very early on in life, I got the idea in my head that I was somehow "bad" at math. I immediately put myself at a disadvantage when I approach any math with this negative mind set. Clearly Julia overcame some of her math related fears. I hope to do the same.
All throughout high school I never struggled with math and was even in a few honors courses. I never really enjoyed it, but I found that if I put a little effort in I would do just fine. Once I came to college I pretty much wrote math out of my life. Last year I found out that I had to take a math course to fufill a requirement. I didnt take it seriously and I started to fail simple quizzes and tests. I started to feel the exact same way that Julia describes feeling. By the end of the course I eeked out a C, but was at all happy about it. I hope that this class will be able to give me a renewed view on math, so that I can enjoy it again.
I feel that this story didn't necessarily have to be about math. It could have other applications and what I took from it was to conquer fears with some ideal ["crystal"] in mind.
Math and I have always had a difficult relationship, my parents never really got on me about doing homework when I was young so I pretty much failed every math class I took until my first year of high school. Then I had this one teacher, Mr. Shaw, and he scared the hell out of me. I made sure to try hard from then on and found out that math isn't so bad, but I feel for Julia and hope that after this class I'll feel more positive towards math as well.
Math for me, like so many others here, was always kind of a similar nightmare to Julia's. I don't think it kept me up at night with gruesome images such as those, but the concepts of math always seemed to be entirely intangible to me... completely out of my grasp. Many times the experience I had with math, was as if the harder I tried to grasp it, the farther away it seemed. I haven't taken a math class since high school and I always managed to keep my distance in college through my majors of music recording and english.
Math is alot like life. True satisfaction comes from those break trhough "aha" moments. One great example of this is when i was a kid. I tried forever to see those magic eye things. I used to think it was just something people made up to make me feel dumb. Then one day, it just clicked for me, then i can see them in an insatant. I felt like a god.
For me Math was always one of my best subjects, but I always found it extremely tedious and boring. I'm hoping for that to change in this class.
I thought this Julia & The Dragon story was funny and made it seem like What is Math? is going to be an interesting course and worth while. I remember being in middle school and high school and staying up late and getting so frustrated with subjects like math and science. I just didn't get it and didn't want to bother with it. Julia's story was funny. Maybe we should all make something like it when we are done with the class. See if our perspective of math changed like Julia's. I think mine already has. I like the Golden Ratio thing.
I'm feeling much calmer about this course after reading Julia's Nightmare. Some of what she said completely echoed my past experiences with math. In high school, my dad would help me study for a math test, spending hours attempting to explain how certain problems worked out. But I just couldn't seem to grasp the concepts he understood so clearly. I feel relieved that Julia obviously had similar experiences and frustrations, but that this course changed her view and feelings towards math.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I thought it was funny how Julie called the moment when something clicks the "crystal." When she was talking about arguing with her father and trying to complete the problems it made me remember my mother and I arguing about spelling tests. Thanks Julie for conjuring up those memories, and helping me realize that at times it can be frustrating, math really isn't that bad.
I liked the hand in the jar, it was a little over the top but when it comes to Math pressure it fits right in. I think my issue with math is that I had really bad math teachers, one teacher is particular would even throw away our homework! I just wish math in high school taught life skill things like balancing a check book, even maybe all the credit card hoop la, and perhaps have investing really is? Exsactly? I enjoy Dani's attitude about math more than i have ever enjoyed a class before. I also think it is great that we have a blog, it is so trendy.
I completely understand how she felt about math. In highschool I struggled every day with my math classes, and it was like a huge weight had been lifted after I was done with the really difficult ones like pre-calc and calculus (not really my thing). I hope this class can help me to achieve a better understanding/relationship with math such as the one that she was able to reach.
That about sums it up for me too!!!
• Actually, I hate math (nothing personal to anyone).
• Math scares me too.
• My 11th grade math teacher scared me more. She didn’t really care for people who didn’t like math. Needless to say, she didn’t care for me. She loved (so to speak) my brother though. He is a Senior at RPI in engineering and he is a math genius.
• Picture this: Almost every night, dining room table... Math lessons start with my “tutor (dad) ... He always meant well... Soon though would lose patience... Didn’t like it when I started to laugh at his facial contortions, trying to get me to get math... Go figure... Not long, the tears would start.
• That, to me, was math. The only picture I would need though is the dining room table.
Ha I really like her presentation. It was humourous as well as informative. The pics went well with everything.. gloomy... enlightening..!
I enjoyed reading Julia's blog. I like how she created something artistic to depict her battle with math. The images were great! As for myself, I've noticed a lot of my insecurities come up when I'm confronted with Math. I've used my struggles with Math to understand myself better, because it reveals things about me that I don't usually see. For me to really do Math well, I have to work on clarity, pace, anxiety and a lot of other issues.
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