That's what my gramma used to say and I'm beginning to believe it. This is my life right now, keep in mind that all of this will happen with my husband working two jobs, me working full time, running a homeschool bowling league, homeschooling my own kids, and then throw this on top of it and you will see why that quote is relevant:
I sit here listening to some old Duran Duran, contemplating many things. Tomorrow is the first day of public schools here and my husband is in a tizzy trying to get ready for it, after working all weekend (where he cleared almost $17,000 in sales alone!!) and I gather up my financial stuff for my application.
But the application isn't a typical one--I am going back to school. I am definitely going to need the "shadows on my side" for this one, as I am entering college after almost 11 years for my Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education, Mathematics. Yes, a middle/high school math teacher. Which leads to rather interesting story that I hope to someday tell my own set of students.
I was once like you. I hate, hate, hated, LOATHED ENTIRELY, math. In fact, I hated it so much that I would skip it as often as I possibly could; or I'd fall asleep in class. I mean, I had football coaches for math teachers (you know the kind--handsome, rugged good looks, eyeballing all the "pretty girls" in class as they had many "wardrobe malfunctions" throughout the day. The ones who never really taught math beyond "Hey, the score is 28-30, you need a touchdown to win"...type teachers..yada yada snoooooooooooze) and I never learned a damn thing. Not one single thing except maybe that my breasts were not perfect enough for them, I wasn't skinny enough or pretty enough for them to pay attention to my real questions, so I gave up.
It wasn't until college that I actually GOT math. I had three very awesome teachers. Two females, one younger, hip, and I think somewhat ADHD; one older, wiser and smart-assed like me, and the most geeky, ornary, boring (think Bueller, Bueller) guy ever. But I learned. I just received a copy of my transcripts and I aced all three classes with straight A's. This was coming from someone who had to take General Math 1 in my senior year because, for some reason, my SAT score wasn't high enough(??). I aced it so high that I was selected by the older teacher to be a student aid and tutor for her class.
I was going to college for Criminalistics (read: CSI), aced nearly all of my classes, only 2 classes shy of graduating and I had to drop out. I haven't been back until now. I do not know what in the hell would make me consider Math as a teachable subject, but for some reason, I WANT to teach it. This year in our homeschooling, I started using a program called Videotext Algebra. I make the kids watch the lesson, then I teach the lesson to them, showing them shortcuts. And things are coming back to me that make me wonder why I hated it in the first place.
Both my mother and husband said that I want to teach it because I can related to those kids. I've been there. I know what it is like to quietly cry in the back of the classroom, locked inside of my thoughts screaming "I do NOT get it" over and over. I know what it is like to have asshole, moronic, jerk-wad teachers who just do not give a damn when it comes to actually educating you.
I've been there.
And now I want to help kids run from there. Get away from that hell. I want to show them that yes, math really is fun and exciting (Damn you Danny Kaye!!) and even easy!! Straight to hell with Danika McKellar (who I do think is FABULOUS, btw. I just mean she's a natural, I'm not and I happen to believe that us non-naturals will be the ones to make the difference).
I AM going to conquer this.
I AM going to graduate from this.
I AM going to kick Math's ass and show it who is boss.
And those kids will love me for it. :)~~
~~Fin
Toni
