Timed writing: Mathematics and me

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The earliest positive memory I have of math is when during a tutoring session when I was around grade 1. I vaguely remember scoring a perfect on my test and getting to write my name on the star board. From that point, I remember being very confident in my math abilities throughout elementary. My parents would say I had a 'talent' in math. I believe it was around grade 7 where I started learning about integers and I was struggling. This was the first time I had ever struggled with a math concept. I remember having to redo the test around 2 or 3 times until I finally understood the material. This led me to understand that even though I was strong in other math areas, there were some topics that I would not grasp.  I believe that failure has humbled me as a student and gave me a new perspective on math education.

As I got into high school, I quickly realized that I was not the only one who was good at math. There were many other students who I thought were much smarter than me. But from my past experiences, I learned to not let this affect me. I knew I had the talent to learn new concepts, it wasn't impossible. I knew it was important not to compare myself to others and to just put my head down and work hard. I always remind myself to be humble, even though I have 'talent', it must be combined with determination and hard work.

Comments

  1. Ziyad ShukriSeptember 16, 2019 at 1:39 PM

    This is hilarious Hugo: I was always a competitive person in my life especially in things I am good at and this is part of what made me love math! I am really inspired from reading what you wrote - I always need to remind myself to be humble and only compete with myself.

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