Academic Requirements

[granfire]

@ Fiendlover...roflmao, you got a tough life there, buddy!

(Either your math teacher suck badly or you need a tutor...math is logic, once the pieces fall into place it's easy! And that comes from somebody who is a complete numbers dork...takes me a year to learn my own phone number!)


But you are a prime example, actually, while yes, academic is important, but also that the work ethic needs to be reflected.

So not doing your German work should reflect worse on you then having an F in math when you did all the assignments.

 

[jks9199]

OMG YES! i hate it so much well because im a junior in highschool and i couldnt test one time because i got grounded cuz i got an F on one of my classes which is usually math. i was SO pissed off i didnt talk to my mom for like three weeks no joke. :cuss: if we turn in our report cards with A's and B's the instructor reads it at the end of class to everyone and u go up and recieve a patch saying like black belt excellence or something i dont remember. i only got one because i was in summer school (like always) and i only had two classes so i got A's in both. :flushed:

i hate it so much. one time my mom gave it to my shihan and they were like almost straight C's and one F (in math of course) and he said that i had 3 strikes. that was the first one, next one would mean that he would take me to Mr. Fisher (shihans teacher and my sparring instructor) and then the third strike would be that i would get kicked out until my grades got better. :barf::bird::hb:

this was in freshmen year and my pe teacher verbally assualted her students and actually called someone a ***** and she gave everyone in that class F's and shihan gave me a paper with all my subjects and i had to get it sighned by each teacher saying that i turned in my homework or for pe saying that i participated. since my pe teacher cant watch everyone if she didnt look my way then how could she "see" me participating? so she gave me F's but she got fired that year so shihan let it slide and plus it was at the end of the year so i only had to keep it up for so long.

and its not like im a faliure in life or school. i get decent grades not A's or straight A's but my grades usually consist of maybe one B mostly C's and one F if im doing math.

but this year is actually better than normal. i have two A's, a B, a C, a D, and a F. im not embarassed. im proud of it. last year ws straight C's and a F. im failing one class and passing the rest. ive heard that you're supposed to have ten of those patches in order to get to black but they dont enforce it. thank god. its K-12 and im in 11th with one patch and the school year is alomst over and im going to be black belt in a manner of months to a year. plus theres 4 quarters in a school year so even if i tried starting now...............i would only 5 patches if i get good grades starting now. yeah right.................:bs1::lol::lool::disgust::shrug::bs::BSmeter:

next year i should get all A's with the classes im getting since i hav sinority cuz ill be a senior (i dont hav math :highfive::cheers: or chemistry which im not doing to good in either) so ill probably get 4 and together id hav 5. wow half of the requirements.

that puts a ton of unwanted and uneeded stress on teens anyway. they're already going through hell/highschool and getting good grades to succeed in something u enjoy is bs. i LOVE karate. its my life. its what makes me get up everyday. karate is suppose to be fun i mean its a sport and why do ppl participate in sports? for enjoyment, to get away from stress, to be happy. how can u be happy when u cant get pass a point because of ur grades? grades and karate are two different things and should have nothing to do with each other.

if i dont pass a belt testing for example, does that mean i cant pass a class too? no it doesnt so it shouldnt be vice versa either. my goal is to become not only a black belt but a teacher and a studio owner. that is my future career in life. so if u think about it if i dont pass a single class that ruins my whole chance in my future career. isnt school, teachers, and family encouraging u to do everything and anything to help u acheive ur future career/goals? well in my case thats taking away from it and its not like im failing every class. i would understand if i was. im not. im failing one class only because im learning theoritical equations that i will never need in life unless i become a rocket scientist or any other career that has to do with a lot of big and little numbers that i will never concsider.

its simple. if i dont get all of these equations then obviously none of those careers are for me are they? its ridicules. i understand if someones in elementry school or middle school and are failing there classes because obviously they're going to need to pass in order to get anywhere in life because u need at least a high school diploma in order to get into most careers. but i know what im doing and i get can get a high school diploma and i can go to college too with the grades ive had. my future is set and for teens that dont hav there future set then yeah they'll need motivation but i dont think that stopping a belt testing or a chance to get there black belt is the proper motivation especially if they start late and only hav a certain amount of time to get the good grades b4 a belt testing for example.

no...i dont think its right i mean at least for teens my age for a lot of them have jobs too to think about and grades arent going to be there number one priorities.

like i said i can understand for elementrey school and middle school kids because they're younger and dont have a lot of things on there minds like most teens and adults.

anyway thats my story on the whole report card bs.

yeah parents like it; teens/kids hate it. im a teen. arent u glad u hav a variety in this little community? lol

I've taken a bit of time to think about how I wanted to respond this. I'm going to warn you -- this is going to be a bit of a rant. And I'm going to address some misperceptions you have.

First, you're a kid. You're JOB at the moment isn't karate, it's not playing video games, and it's not even earning money. Your job is going to school to acquire the skills you need to become a contributing, useful member of society. A high school diploma is the bare minimum to get in the door for most reasonable adult work that'll stand a reasonable chance of letting you actually live on your own, instead of in your family's basement.

You say that you think it's unfair that you have to get decent grades to participate. Well, that kid on the high school football team, or wrestling, or cheerleading, or field hockey, or anything else has to meet academic eligibility requirements if he or she wants to play. Why shouldn't you have to meet eligibility requirements to train? 'Cause it's not a "school sport?" Lousy argument. If it's a good thing for the school sports -- wouldn't it be a good thing for a non-school sport?

You wonder what some of the classes have to do with the job you think you want now. Well, let's see... in my early teens, I was sure that I was going get a degree in aeronautical engineer, go into the military, be a pilot, and become an astronaut. H'mm... by the time I started college, I was a civil engineering major. When all was said and done, my degree is in administration of justice. I'm a cop -- without a single hour towards a pilot's license. But I use some of that math and science training all the time, in things like crash reconstruction. I spend a lot of time writing -- and lessons learned in those English classes matter a lot!

Now -- I'm going to be more personal for moment. Your writing, as evidenced here, is full of sloppy thought and poor habits. I cannot encourage you to purchase and apply The Elements of Style forcefully enough. I know, you're grades are good enough. Let me steal a poem my teacher wrote:

When "good enough" is good enough,
We'll have trouble, can't you see,
'cause "good enough" isn't good enough for me.

And make writing and expressing yourself carefully and well a habit. It'll make thinking carefully and well a habit. That way, when it counts and there is no time to do it again -- you'll be able to do it right without trying. It's just like martial arts training; you don't practice poorly and expect to perform well under pressure.

You've said you want to make teaching martial arts your career. That's great. Look at the various threads on school management; it's something of a long-shot. Even buying into a very established program like your instructor's doesn't guarantee success. In fact -- I'll bet that over the next 3 years, as the US economy struggles, you see many martial arts schools close their doors because they're a luxury to many students, and luxuries are dropped when budgets get tight. (Contracts only help if people can pay... If they're can't, you won't get but a tiny fraction in bankruptcies or by selling the debt.) I'd encourage you to have a good back-up plan; you never know when you might suffer an injury that derails your current goal, apart from the business concerns. I'd also suggest that, even if you're buying a turn-key program, you need a good business background if you don't want to fail. (And that does involve more math than simple arithmetic.)

Now, that's not saying that every martial arts program for kids needs to closely monitor the students's grades. I don't. But my students all understand that school is the priority, not martial arts. If there's ever a conflict -- school wins. Yet, with coordination of the parents and the teachers, we have had students miss a day or two of school for clinics or tournaments. And they've brought homework along, or had to write papers about the event to make up for the missed day.

 

[Kacey]

I teach special education in a middle school, and I teach TKD. I expect my students in both areas to do their best. For most students, that means maintaining a C or better in all academic classes - but as a special education teacher I am also willing to work with individual students based on their particular needs - and that includes offering tutoring if needed. My concern, with my TKD students who are in school, is that they do not neglect their school work for TKD - TKD will still be there when their homework is finished, and I will work around it. If they neglect their school work for TKD, however, that is much harder to make up.

As jks said, when you are in school, that is your primary job; everything else is secondary. Also, as a TKD instructor, if you cannot use the discipline you are learning in class to set your priorities correctly - then I have failed as an instructor, just as much as if I let a parent neglect his or her child to come to class, or as if I let a student lose a job because of TKD events - and how much worse would it be if I encouraged it, instead of simply allowing it?

 

[Fiendlover]

I've taken a bit of time to think about how I wanted to respond this. I'm going to warn you -- this is going to be a bit of a rant. And I'm going to address some misperceptions you have.

First, you're a kid. You're JOB at the moment isn't karate, it's not playing video games, and it's not even earning money. Your job is going to school to acquire the skills you need to become a contributing, useful member of society. A high school diploma is the bare minimum to get in the door for most reasonable adult work that'll stand a reasonable chance of letting you actually live on your own, instead of in your family's basement.

You say that you think it's unfair that you have to get decent grades to participate. Well, that kid on the high school football team, or wrestling, or cheerleading, or field hockey, or anything else has to meet academic eligibility requirements if he or she wants to play. Why shouldn't you have to meet eligibility requirements to train? 'Cause it's not a "school sport?" Lousy argument. If it's a good thing for the school sports -- wouldn't it be a good thing for a non-school sport?

You wonder what some of the classes have to do with the job you think you want now. Well, let's see... in my early teens, I was sure that I was going get a degree in aeronautical engineer, go into the military, be a pilot, and become an astronaut. H'mm... by the time I started college, I was a civil engineering major. When all was said and done, my degree is in administration of justice. I'm a cop -- without a single hour towards a pilot's license. But I use some of that math and science training all the time, in things like crash reconstruction. I spend a lot of time writing -- and lessons learned in those English classes matter a lot!

Now -- I'm going to be more personal for moment. Your writing, as evidenced here, is full of sloppy thought and poor habits. I cannot encourage you to purchase and apply The Elements of Style forcefully enough. I know, you're grades are good enough. Let me steal a poem my teacher wrote:


And make writing and expressing yourself carefully and well a habit. It'll make thinking carefully and well a habit. That way, when it counts and there is no time to do it again -- you'll be able to do it right without trying. It's just like martial arts training; you don't practice poorly and expect to perform well under pressure.

You've said you want to make teaching martial arts your career. That's great. Look at the various threads on school management; it's something of a long-shot. Even buying into a very established program like your instructor's doesn't guarantee success. In fact -- I'll bet that over the next 3 years, as the US economy struggles, you see many martial arts schools close their doors because they're a luxury to many students, and luxuries are dropped when budgets get tight. (Contracts only help if people can pay... If they're can't, you won't get but a tiny fraction in bankruptcies or by selling the debt.) I'd encourage you to have a good back-up plan; you never know when you might suffer an injury that derails your current goal, apart from the business concerns. I'd also suggest that, even if you're buying a turn-key program, you need a good business background if you don't want to fail. (And that does involve more math than simple arithmetic.)

Now, that's not saying that every martial arts program for kids needs to closely monitor the students's grades. I don't. But my students all understand that school is the priority, not martial arts. If there's ever a conflict -- school wins. Yet, with coordination of the parents and the teachers, we have had students miss a day or two of school for clinics or tournaments. And they've brought homework along, or had to write papers about the event to make up for the missed day.

i knew when i wrote my input i would get responses like this. im not saying that in a bad way i respect what u hav to say and i really appreciate it. im not a normal close minded/know-it-all teen which we get classified as. i appreciate what u hav to say and i do hav fall back careers in case i dont get to own a studio. ands it not that i suck tremendously at math. my 8th grade teacher was going through a divorce and that entire year and his kids were leaving him. he got fired and came to work at my highschool the next year which i would be going to that next year. freshman year i passed with a B because im actually good at algerbra, then in sophmore year the grades were posted on the wall with assigned numbers of course so that its private but everyone except for a handful of people had F's. he got fired too and then in summer school i sat with the same people i had in class and everyone in that class except for 4 all had my same teacher. and i passed summer school with an A. this year it'll be my teachers first year teaching and she half the time doesnt know what shes doing. this is geometry and she used to build bridges before so i guess that helps but like i said i do every assignment and im still failing and the homework is like 60% of the total grade and i get good marks on the homework. so i dont know what's up with that.

im trying and im trying my hardest but its obviously not working. and like someone said some work hard and still get F's while others breeze by and get A's. if anything then it should be based on the effort the student makes then the grade itself.

 

[Fiendlover]

@ Fiendlover...roflmao, you got a tough life there, buddy!

(Either your math teacher suck badly or you need a tutor...math is logic, once the pieces fall into place it's easy! And that comes from somebody who is a complete numbers dork...takes me a year to learn my own phone number!)


But you are a prime example, actually, while yes, academic is important, but also that the work ethic needs to be reflected.

So not doing your German work should reflect worse on you then having an F in math when you did all the assignments.

haha my math teachers suck. they all ended up getting fired and i went to a tutor and he ask me why i was here because i got everything he showed me it wasnt like it was heiroglyphics.

yeah im great at german tho. the class isnt based around homework like math is. i get german because he goes over it and over it again verbally since thats where its most important not nessicarily writing. but geometry i suck at it when i do do all of the assignments. it sucks.

 

[chrismay101]

Grades should be down to the mums and dads to worry about they can say if there kids go to training or not the martial arts instructor should worry about what he's teaching.
maybe people who promote kids if they have good grades should only teach kids who are A grade students that way you can cut out all the dead wood!
kids now adays have enough pressure with out stupid things like this. A kid should be a Black Belt on merit in TKD not on how good they are at long division!

 

[Fiendlover]

Grades should be down to the mums and dads to worry about they can say if there kids go to training or not the martial arts instructor should worry about what he's teaching.
maybe people who promote kids if they have good grades should only teach kids who are A grade students that way you can cut out all the dead wood!
kids now adays have enough pressure with out stupid things like this. A kid should be a Black Belt on merit in TKD not on how good they are at long division!

agreed! :cheers:

 

[jks9199]

one time my mom gave it to my shihan and they were like almost straight C's and one F (in math of course) and he said that i had 3 strikes. that was the first one, next one would mean that he would take me to Mr. Fisher (shihans teacher and my sparring instructor) and then the third strike would be that i would get kicked out until my grades got better. :barf::bird::hb:

this was in freshmen year and my pe teacher verbally assualted her students and actually called someone a ***** and she gave everyone in that class F's and shihan gave me a paper with all my subjects and i had to get it sighned by each teacher saying that i turned in my homework or for pe saying that i participated. since my pe teacher cant watch everyone if she didnt look my way then how could she "see" me participating? so she gave me F's but she got fired that year so shihan let it slide and plus it was at the end of the year so i only had to keep it up for so long.

and its not like im a faliure in life or school. i get decent grades not A's or straight A's but my grades usually consist of maybe one B mostly C's and one F if im doing math.

i knew when i wrote my input i would get responses like this. im not saying that in a bad way i respect what u hav to say and i really appreciate it. im not a normal close minded/know-it-all teen which we get classified as. i appreciate what u hav to say and i do hav fall back careers in case i dont get to own a studio. ands it not that i suck tremendously at math. my 8th grade teacher was going through a divorce and that entire year and his kids were leaving him. he got fired and came to work at my highschool the next year which i would be going to that next year. freshman year i passed with a B because im actually good at algerbra, then in sophmore year the grades were posted on the wall with assigned numbers of course so that its private but everyone except for a handful of people had F's. he got fired too and then in summer school i sat with the same people i had in class and everyone in that class except for 4 all had my same teacher. and i passed summer school with an A. this year it'll be my teachers first year teaching and she half the time doesnt know what shes doing. this is geometry and she used to build bridges before so i guess that helps but like i said i do every assignment and im still failing and the homework is like 60% of the total grade and i get good marks on the homework. so i dont know what's up with that.

im trying and im trying my hardest but its obviously not working. and like someone said some work hard and still get F's while others breeze by and get A's. if anything then it should be based on the effort the student makes then the grade itself.

haha my math teachers suck. they all ended up getting fired and i went to a tutor and he ask me why i was here because i got everything he showed me it wasnt like it was heiroglyphics.

yeah im great at german tho. the class isnt based around homework like math is. i get german because he goes over it and over it again verbally since thats where its most important not nessicarily writing. but geometry i suck at it when i do do all of the assignments. it sucks.

Apparently, it's never your fault if you receive a bad grade... but you're responsible for all the good grades.

It doesn't work that way.

If a karate student were to say that the reason they failed a testing was their instructor, would you buy that at face value -- or would you suspect that maybe they didn't practice enough?

As you move on in your education, you'll receive less and less support from the teachers. Many college professors don't check routine homework at all; the student's performance on the tests and quizzes in class, or on papers they turn in are the evidence of whether or not they did the homework and paid attention in class. In a large university, it's quite possible that the only time you actually see the listed professor will be the first class of the course; a teaching assistant will cover most of the classes. You need to take responsibility for your education, rather than look to blame someone else for your grades.

And I'm going to break a sad fact of reality to you: In life, it's often irrelevant how hard you tried to do a job or task -- it's only whether you accomplished the job. Do you care if the surgeon really tried his best, or do you want him to remove the tumor? Is it enough for you that the firefighters worked hard -- or do you want them to extinguish the fire.

 

[MBuzzy]

Fiendlover - I feel for you...and I understand your plight. I was one of those kids that never had to try in High School and still got A's. Then I got to college and got a huge awakening. JKS is dead on here - the professors couldn't care less. I also spent a lot of time blaming my bad grades on professors. It really took me a long time to learn that if I was doing bad - it was MY FAULT. If I'm not getting it, if I'm doing badly on homework....then I need more time and effort. Sometimes trying your best isn't enough, you have to go BEYOND what you think is your best and find a way. If that includes tutors, Schaum's outlines, websites, privately talking to the prof....whatever it takes.

But I've got to tell you, if you think that you'll never use this stuff again - marticularly math.....you are sorely mistaken. Especially if you want to own a school. You will get into more math than you ever wanted....it is called economics and management....and it's not easy.

I'd also like to echo JKS that what you want in 11th grade is very very seldom what you end up in. I wanted to be a musician and here I am 10 years later as an engineer.....and let me tell you - MATH IS MY BREAD AND BUTTER.

Is it possible that you should spend LESS time at Karate and more time in Math?

We're pretty far from the original topic here, but Fiendlover brings up a very unique perspective - that of those who are affected.

And that makes me ask - what is the adult equivalent? Is there one and should there be one? We are basically talking about either time or a well rounded person, so do adults have an equivalent standard - or should they?

 

[newGuy12]

haha my math teachers suck. they all ended up getting fired and i went to a tutor and he ask me why i was here because i got everything he showed me it wasnt like it was heiroglyphics.

yeah im great at german tho. the class isnt based around homework like math is. i get german because he goes over it and over it again verbally since thats where its most important not nessicarily writing. but geometry i suck at it when i do do all of the assignments. it sucks.

Geometry is very nice, you should not give up. If you have some question about it, you may wish to post the question on this board. Perhaps some member here can explain it. Also, it may be an opportunity for the members here to show off their skill in Math.

We can't do the homework for you, of course, because we wish for you to actually gain the skill yourself, not just cheat, haha. I myself am no slouch with math! I am not a teacher, but, that is not totally necessary to help someone.

That's just an idea. Please don't give up on the math, because it can be a LOT of fun, especially when you learn the algebra and the trigonometry. You keep going, and finally you will get the reward -- the Calculus. This is something that you must not miss! With it you have MUCH POWER!

Also -- math is more fun, because when you focus the attention on a nice problem, you can work through it while listening to rock-n-roll music if you wish. It uses a part of the brain that is not distracted so easily, not like learning to interpret some literature, some novel, say.

 

[granfire]

I hear playing pool is great for geometric understanding!

 

[Ping898]

It really took me a long time to learn that if I was doing bad - it was MY FAULT.

See now I do agree with you there, but at some point the teacher also bears some responsibility. I have a Math degree and I went through almost every professor in the department at least once, but the classes I did best in were the ones where the prof took the time to do more than regurgitate what was in the book. If I could learn it just reading the book I wouldn't need to take the class. I was the type of student who attended every class, had the supplemental materials, would be in a professor's office 2 or 3 times a week for help, there was no slacking, and in the end when God smiled on me and I found a good professor, I went to her for help in every class cause I knew she could explain things in a way I could understand and wouldn't get angry at me when I didn't understand it the first time. I had a professor throw a pen and pad at me once cause he kept explaining the problem the same way over and over and I didn't get it. Acted like it was my fault, I don't think so, if you are teaching the class, than it is your job to TEACH. I finally left his office, went right to hers and 10 minutes later I understood it, why?...cause she didn't just explain it the same way again.
Though I know this post is off the topic of the thread, this is something I feel strongly about. I have taken enough classes to know that while I am ultimately responsible for my own success or failure (and fiendlover has got a bit to learn about personal responsibility IMO), sometimes you can only succeed as much at the person there to teach you, cause trust me there are no good supplemental materials and very limited tutoring help if any for Advanced Calculus (i.e. like Calc 7), chaos theory, partial differential equations....etc....

I'd also like to echo JKS that what you want in 11th grade is very very seldom what you end up in.

This I also disagree with. I knew by the time I was a freshman I would be an engineer and I had to fight my stupid guidance counselors every step of the way on it. I knew I would not be going to a school that cared if I took 3 years of latin, sometimes you do know what you will be or at least the general subgroup you will be in...

 

[Fiendlover]

Apparently, it's never your fault if you receive a bad grade... but you're responsible for all the good grades.

It doesn't work that way.

If a karate student were to say that the reason they failed a testing was their instructor, would you buy that at face value -- or would you suspect that maybe they didn't practice enough?

As you move on in your education, you'll receive less and less support from the teachers. Many college professors don't check routine homework at all; the student's performance on the tests and quizzes in class, or on papers they turn in are the evidence of whether or not they did the homework and paid attention in class. In a large university, it's quite possible that the only time you actually see the listed professor will be the first class of the course; a teaching assistant will cover most of the classes. You need to take responsibility for your education, rather than look to blame someone else for your grades.

And I'm going to break a sad fact of reality to you: In life, it's often irrelevant how hard you tried to do a job or task -- it's only whether you accomplished the job. Do you care if the surgeon really tried his best, or do you want him to remove the tumor? Is it enough for you that the firefighters worked hard -- or do you want them to extinguish the fire.

hahaha thats what my mom says. "so its never ur fault ur grades are bad"

no but u have a great point. but it seemed that i did excellent in those classes that the teacher wasnt going through family or private problems.

alright i get that my best isnt enough so i guess ill hav to do better to get the job done as u say but i doubt that thats going to change. and i hav changed my work efforts greatly which is why im actually getting A's and B's this year instead of lower grades like D's and i only hav the one F in math.

but like ive said before i dont think that my grades even if its just the one bad one should affect my ability to advance in the ranks of my studio and its not like i do put karate above my class work anyway.

 

[Fiendlover]

Fiendlover - I feel for you...and I understand your plight. I was one of those kids that never had to try in High School and still got A's. Then I got to college and got a huge awakening. JKS is dead on here - the professors couldn't care less. I also spent a lot of time blaming my bad grades on professors. It really took me a long time to learn that if I was doing bad - it was MY FAULT. If I'm not getting it, if I'm doing badly on homework....then I need more time and effort. Sometimes trying your best isn't enough, you have to go BEYOND what you think is your best and find a way. If that includes tutors, Schaum's outlines, websites, privately talking to the prof....whatever it takes.

But I've got to tell you, if you think that you'll never use this stuff again - marticularly math.....you are sorely mistaken. Especially if you want to own a school. You will get into more math than you ever wanted....it is called economics and management....and it's not easy.

I'd also like to echo JKS that what you want in 11th grade is very very seldom what you end up in. I wanted to be a musician and here I am 10 years later as an engineer.....and let me tell you - MATH IS MY BREAD AND BUTTER.

Is it possible that you should spend LESS time at Karate and more time in Math?

We're pretty far from the original topic here, but Fiendlover brings up a very unique perspective - that of those who are affected.

And that makes me ask - what is the adult equivalent? Is there one and should there be one? We are basically talking about either time or a well rounded person, so do adults have an equivalent standard - or should they?

well im glad u understand. and to answer this question... "Is it possible that you should spend LESS time at Karate and more time in Math?"
i havent been to karate in a year and im still not currently in it as we speak. i havent been because my dad has a serious illness that almost got him killed and ive been here with him and my family and in case anything happens i need to be close. so this gives me plenty of time to go over my homework including math. fun huh?

and yes im very aware of the fact that math will be everywhere in life and im taking economics next year. im good at alegerbra. i got a B freshmen year and i got an A sophmore year in summerschool. this year i hav geometery which has a lot to do with everything. maybe in summerschool ill get an A too. lol

 

[MBuzzy]

See now I do agree with you there, but at some point the teacher also bears some responsibility. I have a Math degree and I went through almost every professor in the department at least once, but the classes I did best in were the ones where the prof took the time to do more than regurgitate what was in the book. If I could learn it just reading the book I wouldn't need to take the class. I was the type of student who attended every class, had the supplemental materials, would be in a professor's office 2 or 3 times a week for help, there was no slacking, and in the end when God smiled on me and I found a good professor, I went to her for help in every class cause I knew she could explain things in a way I could understand and wouldn't get angry at me when I didn't understand it the first time. I had a professor throw a pen and pad at me once cause he kept explaining the problem the same way over and over and I didn't get it. Acted like it was my fault, I don't think so, if you are teaching the class, than it is your job to TEACH. I finally left his office, went right to hers and 10 minutes later I understood it, why?...cause she didn't just explain it the same way again.
Though I know this post is off the topic of the thread, this is something I feel strongly about. I have taken enough classes to know that while I am ultimately responsible for my own success or failure (and fiendlover has got a bit to learn about personal responsibility IMO), sometimes you can only succeed as much at the person there to teach you, cause trust me there are no good supplemental materials and very limited tutoring help if any for Advanced Calculus (i.e. like Calc 7), chaos theory, partial differential equations....etc.......

Ok, I should qualify that. The MAJORITY of times, it was my fault. And I do mean MY fault. But I definately have had a few teachers that were just HORRIBLE teachers or were incompetant. It happens....and sometimes they just flat out don't like you. I had one prof that I took Mechanics of Deformable Bodies with. I got the professor and everyone I knew said "Drop it, you can't pass with that guy." I didn't believe it, stayed in the class and failed....along with 90% of the class. the dude had tenure and was permanently pissed at the world from some VERY hard personal times, so he got his kicks from failing all of his classes. It happens......but I would say that if it is an ENTIRE SUBJECT and there is an excuse EVERY TIME, then it might....just MIGHT be user error.

This I also disagree with. I knew by the time I was a freshman I would be an engineer and I had to fight my stupid guidance counselors every step of the way on it. I knew I would not be going to a school that cared if I took 3 years of latin, sometimes you do know what you will be or at least the general subgroup you will be in...

That is AWESOME and very commendable - but you have to admit that this isn't the norm. Yes, it does happen, but I would theorize that with the majority of kids, this isn't the case. And even if you have a dream and stick with it....it just doesn't always work out. Like in Fiendlover's case....the guy just might not be cut out for math. I mean, I do believe that with hard work and teachers that care enough, he will get it, but there are people that will just never get it totally. Personally, I was lucky - I hated math in high school....I was decent at it, but I hated it. But by college, with some hard work and some AWESOME teachers, I grew to love it.

You are right, sometimes you will know the general group that you're in....but heck, even look at college freshmen, how many end up in the major they start in? I don't konw the numbers and I'm sure there are a lot, but it isn't as many as you'd expect. I stayed in engineering for all 4 years. But out of a group of 22 of us, who were ALL engineering, only 4 graduated in engineering.

 

[Fiendlover]

Geometry is very nice, you should not give up. If you have some question about it, you may wish to post the question on this board. Perhaps some member here can explain it. Also, it may be an opportunity for the members here to show off their skill in Math.

We can't do the homework for you, of course, because we wish for you to actually gain the skill yourself, not just cheat, haha. I myself am no slouch with math! I am not a teacher, but, that is not totally necessary to help someone.

That's just an idea. Please don't give up on the math, because it can be a LOT of fun, especially when you learn the algebra and the trigonometry. You keep going, and finally you will get the reward -- the Calculus. This is something that you must not miss! With it you have MUCH POWER!

Also -- math is more fun, because when you focus the attention on a nice problem, you can work through it while listening to rock-n-roll music if you wish. It uses a part of the brain that is not distracted so easily, not like learning to interpret some literature, some novel, say.

haha with algerbra i can do that. in fact i did do that. i blasted my metal music and went through cuz im good with formulas but geometery......not so much. i dont like it. id rather do algerbra again.
but thanks for the advice. posting something up is an idea i havent thought of b4. ill see if i can try it though im not sure which category it should be under. maybe they'll make one especially for me. "Fiendlover's geometry questions"

lol

 

[Fiendlover]

I hear playing pool is great for geometric understanding!

lol i shall try that

 

[Fiendlover]

This I also disagree with. I knew by the time I was a freshman I would be an engineer and I had to fight my stupid guidance counselors every step of the way on it. I knew I would not be going to a school that cared if I took 3 years of latin, sometimes you do know what you will be or at least the general subgroup you will be in...

yes i agree. my career in life is dead set and if i dont get that then i hav other options that are also dead set. ive been taking classes i need since freshmen year and ive talked to my councler about what classes i should take in order to be set for college for this career path.

and the coolest thing is that im not the only one who is dead set on owning a studio either. there are three others who are going to do this with me and even if neither of them end up doing it because i know i cant rely on others for my carerr path, ill still be on the path to acheive that goal even if they arent. and im also trying to get a job at our head quarters right now too to help me understand how to run a buisness of my own.

 

[Fiendlover]

Ok, I should qualify that. The MAJORITY of times, it was my fault. And I do mean MY fault. But I definately have had a few teachers that were just HORRIBLE teachers or were incompetant. It happens....and sometimes they just flat out don't like you. I had one prof that I took Mechanics of Deformable Bodies with. I got the professor and everyone I knew said "Drop it, you can't pass with that guy." I didn't believe it, stayed in the class and failed....along with 90% of the class. the dude had tenure and was permanently pissed at the world from some VERY hard personal times, so he got his kicks from failing all of his classes. It happens......but I would say that if it is an ENTIRE SUBJECT and there is an excuse EVERY TIME, then it might....just MIGHT be user error.



That is AWESOME and very commendable - but you have to admit that this isn't the norm. Yes, it does happen, but I would theorize that with the majority of kids, this isn't the case. And even if you have a dream and stick with it....it just doesn't always work out. Like in Fiendlover's case....the guy just might not be cut out for math. I mean, I do believe that with hard work and teachers that care enough, he will get it, but there are people that will just never get it totally. Personally, I was lucky - I hated math in high school....I was decent at it, but I hated it. But by college, with some hard work and some AWESOME teachers, I grew to love it.

You are right, sometimes you will know the general group that you're in....but heck, even look at college freshmen, how many end up in the major they start in? I don't konw the numbers and I'm sure there are a lot, but it isn't as many as you'd expect. I stayed in engineering for all 4 years. But out of a group of 22 of us, who were ALL engineering, only 4 graduated in engineering.

I'm a female thank you. :shrug:

 

[MBuzzy]

I'm a female thank you. :shrug:

Opps, I'm so sorry....No offense was intended. I'll help with math homework to make it up to you.