My college classes - update

[Night Elf]

Just in case anyone is interested...

 

After all the angst of trying to decide between 3 classes (communications, philosophy or foreign language), I ended up not making the decision. Two important education classes opened up and I grabbed them. I have 4 classes this semester, 1 more than I originally planned to take. I feel in over my head! I know I'm smart, but I honestly think I'm going to have trouble in these classes with the textbooks that read so technical.

 

And talk pitiful?? My instructional math course is learning how to explain elementary math to students. Our work is to do the problems and explain how we did them. But there are many problems I cannot do in the first place! I'm absolutely horrid at word problems. If someone else sets it up, then I can solve it, but the initial set-up eludes me no matter how much practice I get. I'm just relieved that I will be a Montessori teacher and focus on ages 1 to 3 or 3 to 6, depending on which class I can be hired for, i.e. which job is available at the time I'm looking. Anyway, I am supposed to try to solve the problems with repeated addition and subtraction and minimize the use of multiplication and division and I cannot do anything like algebra.

 

And then my science course is also like taking a content course because we need to be familiar with the content. The entire class is a hands-on experience. I looked like an ultimate flake in last week's two classes. My group was just knocking out answers and I had no idea what they were talking about. This week, I've read the material a few times and will read it again before class tonight AND I wrote out answers to the group questions so I will sound more intelligent that last week. I'm petrified I'll get called on for the oral quiz and not know the answer to the question. And a huge part of our final grade is based on our group work, so if I get in a clueless group, I'll get a lower grade. I really hate that. :(

 

So anyway, there's my update. Thanks for reading. For some people like me, college is really a challenge, even a college that doesn't rank high on the college lists. It makes me feel so stupid.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Well, *I* think you can do it Beth :) And your kids can help you! I get my kids to help me all the time.

 

The other day, I was looking at this math assessment. I have no doubt I'll pass with flying colors; however, I was struggling with this particular problem. My son, who has not had any advanced math yet, looks at the problem and figures it out. I had misread the problem but I would have done it like the answer key said. My son's way made a lot of sense, just wasn't the way I'd attack it. BTW, his way he did in his head as I was banging on the calculator <sigh>.

 

So my suggestion: 1) read the question CORRECTLY and 2) ask a kid if you get stuck.

 

Seriously, my kids help me a lot with my schoolwork. Usually it's simply cheerleading, but still.

 

BTW, lots of us are in school and even take more credits than maybe we should sometimes (I've had terms with 17 and 22 and plan this one to be another biggie...though I had one term with 8 credits too). So you have lots of company also.

[Night Elf]

Thanks Pamela. My instructor encourages us to be creative in solving the problems. There is no one right way to reach the answer. The point is that if we're teaching a room full of kids, there will be a room full of different learning styles. Friday's class is going to be interesting to see the different ways people came up with answers.

 

I had both kids working on one problem last night. We were laughing and having a good time. I haven't seen them so excited about a math problem in ages! :lol: