Spandy Sigdel
Oct 20, 2024
Undergraduate / My history with mathematics! [2]
**, how did your exams go?" was a question I heard often. "Good, mummy," I'd typically reply without a second thought. But that day, the words didn't come as easily. But that day, my usual response caught in my throat. But that day, the word 'good' felt foreign. It lingered in my throat before I finally forced it out. We both knew the truthᅳthat my mathematics exam was anything but good.
For as long as I remember, mathematics had been my sworn enemy. I'd stare blankly at equations like x + 7y = 10 or attempt to find the roots of 4x^2 + 3x = 7, feeling as if I was deciphering an alien language. I felt bothered with every aspect of mathematics and thought of it as a rival of mine which was always there to sabotage my grade point average. I would've gladly traded math for anythingᅳwashing dishes, sweeping floorsᅳanything that didn't involve those stubborn numbers.
The result came, and I had scored a stinker: 24 out of 50. Not the worst grade in the world, but it felt like it to me. I tried to convince myself that math just wasn't my thing. But deep down, it hit me hard. As I sat there on result day, holding that paper, I kept thinking, "What is it that I'm missing that everyone else isn't?" and "Why am I so bad at math?" The red marks stared back at me, and I knew I needed to change the way I approached it.
I started experimenting with even minute things in my life just to improve my grasp of mathematics. I surfed all over the internet, found numerous ways and started following some of them. One of my first strategies was setting my clock 7 minutes late, forcing myself to do the math every time I checked the time.This habit has stuck with me to this day. I sought out real-world applications for what I was studying. Not all were intriguing and fun at first glance, but I was captivated by how deep the subtle boring-looking equations I used to study were. For example, those graphs I used to hate? I realized they told storiesᅳintersecting lines, curves, and all. As a result, I began connecting what I learned in class to the real world, making it feel less abstract and more like something I could actually use.
It was a gradual process.I didn't magically become a mathematical genius; rather, my grades slowly progressed from B to A over the years. I realized the problem wasn't with me or the boring-looking mathematical equations, it was about the way I approached everything. Not only did this realization impacted me academically, it traced a new insight towards the relation between life and practicality.
For instance, growing up, I would often watch my father meticulously create signboards- his profession- measuring and cutting long rods to construct frames of different sizes. He would weld the pieces together with precision, using technical measurements and mensuration, then attach the flex using super glue. I used to think of it as an adult thing to do, far beyond my grasp, and never dared to learn. However, during my journey to grasp mathematics, I took a new look at my father's work. I observed his process and started to recognize the connections with the mathematics I'd learned, particularly mensuration. Suddenly, the practicality I had been searching for was right in front of me all along.
Finally, I got the confidence, not only in maths but in life. Not only did my grades improved, my ability to perceive real life knowledge increased. In every aspect, there was no more doing for just the sake of it. When I moved to the capital city for school, it was the same story. The streets felt like an unsolvable puzzle at firstᅳnew people, new places. But like with math, I approached it step by step, slowly finding my way through unfamiliar territory.
Even today, mathematics isn't my favorite subject; I like other things more. This is certainly not because of the history I had, but because of my sole interest. Despite not being my best hobby or not being the best mathematician around, I do enjoy mathematics and am grateful for the learnings I've had from the subject.
**, how did your exams go?" was a question I heard often. "Good, mummy," I'd typically reply without a second thought. But that day, the words didn't come as easily. But that day, my usual response caught in my throat. But that day, the word 'good' felt foreign. It lingered in my throat before I finally forced it out. We both knew the truthᅳthat my mathematics exam was anything but good.
For as long as I remember, mathematics had been my sworn enemy. I'd stare blankly at equations like x + 7y = 10 or attempt to find the roots of 4x^2 + 3x = 7, feeling as if I was deciphering an alien language. I felt bothered with every aspect of mathematics and thought of it as a rival of mine which was always there to sabotage my grade point average. I would've gladly traded math for anythingᅳwashing dishes, sweeping floorsᅳanything that didn't involve those stubborn numbers.
The result came, and I had scored a stinker: 24 out of 50. Not the worst grade in the world, but it felt like it to me. I tried to convince myself that math just wasn't my thing. But deep down, it hit me hard. As I sat there on result day, holding that paper, I kept thinking, "What is it that I'm missing that everyone else isn't?" and "Why am I so bad at math?" The red marks stared back at me, and I knew I needed to change the way I approached it.
I started experimenting with even minute things in my life just to improve my grasp of mathematics. I surfed all over the internet, found numerous ways and started following some of them. One of my first strategies was setting my clock 7 minutes late, forcing myself to do the math every time I checked the time.This habit has stuck with me to this day. I sought out real-world applications for what I was studying. Not all were intriguing and fun at first glance, but I was captivated by how deep the subtle boring-looking equations I used to study were. For example, those graphs I used to hate? I realized they told storiesᅳintersecting lines, curves, and all. As a result, I began connecting what I learned in class to the real world, making it feel less abstract and more like something I could actually use.
It was a gradual process.I didn't magically become a mathematical genius; rather, my grades slowly progressed from B to A over the years. I realized the problem wasn't with me or the boring-looking mathematical equations, it was about the way I approached everything. Not only did this realization impacted me academically, it traced a new insight towards the relation between life and practicality.
For instance, growing up, I would often watch my father meticulously create signboards- his profession- measuring and cutting long rods to construct frames of different sizes. He would weld the pieces together with precision, using technical measurements and mensuration, then attach the flex using super glue. I used to think of it as an adult thing to do, far beyond my grasp, and never dared to learn. However, during my journey to grasp mathematics, I took a new look at my father's work. I observed his process and started to recognize the connections with the mathematics I'd learned, particularly mensuration. Suddenly, the practicality I had been searching for was right in front of me all along.
Finally, I got the confidence, not only in maths but in life. Not only did my grades improved, my ability to perceive real life knowledge increased. In every aspect, there was no more doing for just the sake of it. When I moved to the capital city for school, it was the same story. The streets felt like an unsolvable puzzle at firstᅳnew people, new places. But like with math, I approached it step by step, slowly finding my way through unfamiliar territory.
Even today, mathematics isn't my favorite subject; I like other things more. This is certainly not because of the history I had, but because of my sole interest. Despite not being my best hobby or not being the best mathematician around, I do enjoy mathematics and am grateful for the learnings I've had from the subject.
