A Sudden Understanding in Higher Learning
I finally understand school. Like completely. Ok so today I was totally unprepared for my math test on hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses. I couldn’t figure anything out on the homework in the 2 hour break prior to the test and I wasn’t freaking out but I was concerned. And then I realized something. I haven’t done anything for math tests at all this semester, yet I’ve been able to do the tests easily. Not because they are the simplest tests in the world, I mean if you don’t know the information then you would fail. But I’m finally at a point of complete understanding in all things algebra. If I don’t know how to get to the answer, I bet you 10 bucks I could find a way using things I’ve learned. That’s how I’ve gotten through in this class. The tests are like puzzles. Sure I look over all of the information before the test and I make sure that I understand how things are used, but I’m not memorizing formulas anymore. I’m not memorizing anything at all anymore. (I think my math professor has a lot to do with that. She doesn’t emphasize memorizing tactics of doing things, she just teaches us to look at the information presented and see what you can do with it.) I have a complete understanding of this subject. And how did that come about? Well, 4 years of learning algebra over and over is how. Middle school and high school introduce you to subjects. They don’t make it hard because they know that you have no idea what you are actually doing. You’re just memorizing to get through. I remember in 10th grade when we had a test on hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses and I memorized every single equation possible. I had flash cards for all of the figures and I had no idea what the hell I was doing but dammit I was getting that A. They are just familiarizing you with the subject until after a while you finally make the connections between the equations and the figures and you no longer need to memorize anything. They are just exposing you to it for a while until you connect the dots and finally do it on your own. It’s the same with the chemistry I have to take. I have to take 2 or 3 years of Chemistry. And you know why? Because after all that time, I won’t need to study so hard for the tests. I will just be able to infer from what I’ve been familiarized with. I will make connections between what I’ve read and what I’ve been told and I won’t need equations or charts or any of that. I feel pretty good about school now. I’ve finally discovered the point of all of those years of algebra. I’ve finally realized what high school is for. All of those easy and seemingly pointless classes do have a solid purpose. History? I feel like it’s been shoved in my brain so much in my life and taking humanities and history 2 and government, It’s all allowed me to understand all aspects of our past and be able to connect the dots on my own. An understanding of the world and everything in it takes time. It takes years of familiarizing and eventually understanding until you become an expert and don’t need any help comprehending the things around you anymore.
3 years ago