Math and it's Problems in Daily Thoughts, Ideas, and Experiences

I have a math final tomorrow and it’s on my mind. I’ve been trying to actually study for once, which is quite the task. Now I like math and I’m pretty good at it. I’m taking this class for ‘fun’, or moreso I’m not required to take but I chose it over my other options for the term. I’m an artsy person so people assume that I would hate math just as much as everyone else but that’s not the case. Maybe it is really in my blood, my grandpa was a navigator in the air force and a mathematics professor and still does computer programming as a hobby. His brother has been working for the government most of his life translating computer languages. Or maybe it just satisfies me.
Math is quite objective, at least at a surface level. You have a problem that can be solved using the correct tools. In theory, if I have enough information I can solve so many things. Writing, science or even the arts are so much more unpredictable. Things are always changing in those fields. It’s nice having more wiggle room I suppose but you can’ always guarantee that you’ll do things as you are expected to. Math is a beautiful language to me. That being said, I will probably not take any more math classes. It is so much time and thought and I’m glad to be almost done.
So what is the point of all this? As I’ve said, most people hate math. A lot of the people I know either weren’t actually taught the fundamentals of math in high school or they just didn’t care. But now they’re struggling to even pass college-level classes. They have to go back and take one or two extra classes to know what they should have already learned and now they must pay for them. In both the class I’m in now and the last math class I took, I noticed that so many of the students were really struggling. I remember we got back an exam and someone in my class asked if anyone actually passed. My original grade was an 86, but with the 10 point markup my teacher gave to try and give my class a chance at passing, it was an A. In my current math class I got a 97 on my first exam while the girl who sat next to me, the girl who had never missed a class, got a D. In some realm I feel bad because it must really be difficult for most people. I haven’t done any of the book homework this term, only having opened my textbook maybe twice, and I’m doing fine. But for my last class, the bookwork was really helpful and I did it for a couple hours a week at least. This term I’ve started every assignment as soon as I could, sometimes even during class, so that I would have time to go back to it and make sure everything was correct. But I feel like I’m really putting in so little effort. And it’s a 5 credit class, which means you’re supposed to do 10 hours of work outside of class to do well.
My classmates are paying for these classes. And for this one in particular, they’re either doing it for fun or they’re looking for a degree that requires math. Either way, they should be willing to put in the work. It baffles me so much how these students aren’t committing to themselves by passively taking classes. I understand that not everyone can put so much energy into classes. But I work and go to school as well. You have to be willing to sacrifice something. The expectations of the school are set and when you sign up for classes you are agreeing to strive for those expectations. They don’t bend around you. And if you can’t meet them then you need to evaluate what you are capable of right now and strive for that.
Failing classes means you need to retake them. And that is more time and money. So it really is better to just not take the class at all if it is too much. I’m not trying to be above it all or anything, I’m genuinely worried for some of these people. I’ve always been good at school so if I know that I need to put in some effort I know for sure that someone else needs to put in more. People are so quick to complain that everything doesn’t make sense or it’s too hard. But if you put your phone down, stop complaining, and show up to class you can get closer to actually learning. Further, if you ask questions, talk to your classmates, talk to your teacher you can gain so much more. There are so many great resources at my school that people just blow off. People think that if it doesn’t come naturally or if they can’t do everything perfectly that they shouldn’t even try. But C’s are better than F’s, at least that way you’ll get through it.
Sometimes I get so concerned that I sound angry. But it hurts me to see people have a hard time. If I could help everyone individually I would but that’s impossible. I know that these people can do so much better if they just alter their perspective. And yeah, it can really suck at times but doing well is all for you. It’s stupid sometimes but it’s what needs to be done. And it’ll only get harder from here. If you’re having such a hard time with entry level classes then what are you gonna do in a year when everything is more difficult? This is the chance to make good habits, build a strong foundation, and get good grades that’ll cushion your future.
Study hard, put in the work, and learn some math.