To my younger self: How to survive math class.

Universally, math is a hated concept within high school students. From personal experience, I will say I have never thrived at math or fully understood any concept we’ve learned. Math is like a room, you can fill your mind up with it or leave it blank. For me, I left it blank, until my junior year is when I realized I needed to fill that space.

This advice can go for all classes but specifically math: STAY ON TOP OF YOUR WORK. This is key because if you stay on top of your work you not only will have a better grade, but you will also learn the concept more and more. The unit circle for example, I would practice filling in blank sheets, repeatedly until finally I didn’t need to use my notes as a guide.  As they say practice makes perfect. 

Questions…

Do not be afraid to ask about something when you need help (it is what the teacher is there for; utilize it). Asking questions will help you see where you were confused and lead you to understanding the correct way to approach and answer the problem. For my freshman and sophomore year, I wouldn’t ask questions. If the wording was hard on a test, usually I would’ve just guessed, but asking questions led me to get the answers correct. 

Note taking…

This is a vital part of math. If you are home and are stuck on a homework problem, you can go back into your notes to find similar examples. Skimping out on notes is a pure sign of laziness and will only hurt you. On test day, I would always do last minute studying but with no notes I wouldn’t understand how to do anything. Another thing to think about when you want to skip notes is, “Why?” Why skip notes? If you look around the class, that's what everyone else is doing. There is nothing better going on in that room, so use the time given.

Tutoring. This is not an embarrassing thing, so don’t be afraid to reach out for extra help. I struggled a lot in my freshman and sophomore years and I asked for help from a retired arrowhead math teacher. This brought my failing grade into an “A” in the class. It is one time a week, one hour of your day, and it is only ensuring a more proper understanding of the class. Ever since I started with my tutor, I have been more confident and never thought about terminating our sessions. The nice thing about tutors is that they will help with everything going on in the class and will get you caught up with all your work.

Following all these steps will ensure great results. Also a key thing that I will not leave out is cheating. Study, engage and do your work this will lead you to success. Cheating will not only screw you over when you get caught and bring your grade down further than before, but it will also set you up for failure in the real world when you're older. Be attentive in class, reach out for help when needed and finally do your homework. I followed all of these rules in my last years of high school and it worked incredibly well.