Math and Co. made my high school grades looked like hell. I got my first 84 in Physics and Accounting, and this resulted to my kawalang pag-asa to go back to the honor roll list. I always asked my classmate -cum- math whiz for tutorials because my teachers were so intimidating (esp. my second year teacher who scolded me for reading Phantom of the Opera in her class when she was not even teaching that time) that whenever I see them, I literally see numbers walking behind them. I didn’t get to understand why do I have to measure chandeliers, hanging board signs, etc. when (I think) I cannot even use them when I’m at home. Accounting? It made my life crazy, plus the pa-importante teacher, only to find out a year later in college that what she was teaching was obsolete. This information came from my now La Sallista classmate who is taking a business course. He thought he was well-armed, but he is not, unfortunately. To make things short, I really don’t care about the debit and the credit and the balance and the whatever because they made my head ache.

Ah, Chemistry. I thought I was good at it, but my wrath started when I found out that I was the only student in the star section who cannot balance a chemical equation. Sheeze. And my dad is a chemical engineer graduate. The shame.

I had a lot of trouble when I took college entrance exams, especially in Math. I don’t really care about DLSU’s and UST’s math. Although Mapua’s English exam looked similar to an elementary entrance test, their Math was just… awfully hard. How about UPCAT? I skipped 21 questions, I am still wondering why I passed UPCAT without answering those questions about… ah, hell.

My hatred towards Math and Co. affected the way I chose my course. I did not choose a course that is outside the Liberal Arts or Social Sciences and Philosophy for I am afraid that the numbers will eat me alive. Seriously. While my best friend was really good at Math, I sucked.

But my last few months in the Philippines and my early months in Canada made me change my mind about Math. Well, at least I am not as reluctant about the subject. While most people are busy taking College Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry, I spent a few months on UP’s Math bridge class. I was not ashamed to admit that I am bad at the subject, and I guess, taking Practical Math will help me with my anxiety towards dealing with different mathematical problems.

I took Consumer Math when I was in high school here in Canada, and my teacher was very nice and accomodating. She explained the lessons very carefully and gave incentives. She let us take our time to absorb everything. And that kind of teaching was effective that soon enough, I begin to like Math. Believe it or not, Math is my highest grade when I graduated (again) in high school, with a grade of 96 (my English was 84, sucks, I know).

Then came my chance to go to a post-secondary school. Again, I was required to take a 3-credit Math course so that I can get out of first year. I took an easy math, most like Applied and Consumer Math combined. It was pretty boring. It was mind boggling, sure, because of the puzzles, but when I found that the lesson was pretty easy, I got annoyed. I wish I just took Algebra or something.

Then I realized that all I need is a little patience to solve Math problems. I am not that bad, it’s just that I get scared and intimidated easily. I also forget things that after solving a difficult problem, I tend to let it fly away and forget about it. That’s why it seems that I don’t learn anything. It’s all about the will to study hard and to be good at something that you don’t really like. I know that I am not good at Math and others, but that does not mean that I should stop learning.

I just finished my Math exams awhile ago. Although I already noted of some of my mistakes, I am still happy because it’s the first time that I felt confident in taking quantitative exams. On my next school year, second term, I have to take Statistics for Psychology, a prerequisite for my major course. I hope I can do well in that class, knowing that Math is not really hard, after all, as long as I study hard.

(But I still prefer Biology over Chemistry and Physics.)

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Originally published at Pinoy Expats.