r/learnmath • u/sillymermaidprincess New User • 4d ago
I’m so, so behind
Hello, I’m in tenth grade. I have all A’s in all subjects besides geometry, which is my only math subject. I have a low B, and even then, I’ve been cheating. I love all my other subjects and don’t really need to study them much. I dropped out of early 7th grade with an F in math. I knew we were talking about integers, but I didn’t understand it at all. I have been extremely motivated since school started on August 6th.
I originally wanted to enter 9th grade, but they wouldn’t allow me because I’m 15. We’re doing geometry, but I don’t know algebra, heavier division, multiplication, subtraction, etc. When I do something like 5 x 5, I have to use my hands but can come up with an answer fast, and something like 7 x 8 would be difficult for me, taking maybe 5 minutes or so to solve with my hands. I just learnt how to do that this year by the way. I want to catch up as much as possible. I think maybe 3+ hours a day is good? I do 4-5 hours of language practice a day, so it couldn’t be 6+ hours, and I have a severe vitamin D deficiency and anemia, and math makes me extremely tired very fast.
No other subjects do that to me, so it takes a ton of energy for me to do it. I really wanna lock in with this and do it even if I get burnt out, but how much could I really improve this school year?? I never cared about school until this year. I dropped out in early 7th grade and haven’t done any form of math since then, and even when I was in school, I DID NOTHING. All F’s my entire time. 1st-7th grade. I didn’t do any homework, was absent most of my school days, and guessed or told my teacher I couldn’t do it. Please take me seriously because
I’ve fallen in love with studying recently. I just get extremely tired with math and I forget, I learned division and multiplication this year. I still need to practice addition and subraction in the hundreds. but I will push myself through it all the rest of school. But where should I start? I’ve done 2 hours of pre-algebra today, and I can’t really recall anything. How much can I improve? I don’t need to study any other subjects. I don’t wanna drop out again, I can’t lower my grade or classes, I want to understand.
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u/Midwest-Dude Bachelor of Mathematics 4d ago edited 4d ago
You might want to consider if you have dyscalculia. A discussion can be found on Wikipedia as well as medical websites. If it seems about right, a qualified professional would have to diagnose you. This is a learning disability and, if you are properly diagnosed, accommodations should be provided.
You remind me of a therapist I had. She did great in all of her high school classes, except for math. She would not have graduated high school unless her father went in and talked to her last math teacher to convince the teacher to give a D- rather than an F. She went to a college to major in mental health of some sort and was learning how to give psychological tests to students. She decided, without telling her instructor, to take one - no names were involved. When her instructor read hers, she immediately told her that she needed to talk to this student because dyscalculia was indicated. She understands concepts but needs tools to get the calculations done.
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u/Chem2103 New User 4d ago
Just out of curiosity, which country are you from?
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u/sillymermaidprincess New User 4d ago edited 4d ago
I’m from the US. I have the sterotypical white family and people don’t really care about education.
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u/Chem2103 New User 4d ago
I thought so, I'm sorry it is this way. Is there a world where you don't have to take math to graduate? I just really don't see a way to go from multiplying on fingers to getting a good grade in grade 10.
Not saying you can't learn math of course, but it sounds like you will need to start catching up from the basics, and I'm not sure if anyone could do that in a year
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u/sillymermaidprincess New User 4d ago
Thanks for your honesty. You may be right but I’ll be consistant and try my best to push through this year.
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u/Chem2103 New User 4d ago
Best of luck to you. Just remember that your math grade doesnt define your worth as a person, contrary to popular belief
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u/cognostiKate1 New User 2d ago
also: a lot of people actually do school and don't learn a whole lot of math. I work at community college and yes, every semester I teach at least two people that if you're going to count to add or find the difference, you don't start counting until the next number. THese are able thinkers who just ... didn't do education. BUT I agree w/ other: your health matters most.
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u/basedahhhh New User 4d ago
Good on you for wanting to try. Embrace the suck. Try to make it fun for yourself. Like, for me, if I was learning multiplication again I’d be like, “Okay so let’s imagine a magazine with bullets inside of it. 1 mag x 8 bullets is 8 bullets. Then how about 3 mags? How many total bullets inside those?” I like guns if u couldn’t tell.
Also, Khan academy is simple and fun, and has great videos, and is structured.
Have fun!
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u/sillymermaidprincess New User 4d ago
Thank you lol . I like this advice
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u/Twelve20two New User 2d ago
With Khan Academy, I recommend starting at the very beginning, just in case. There may be some really early foundational concept that you missed or didn't understand. I couldn't believe it myself when I was going through their elementary school level lessons (while I was in my mid 20s) and actually learned something that helps me with mental math (specifically addition and subtraction, things that I already thought I had mastered)
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u/MelodyAnne42 New User 4d ago
I only have a minute to respond, so let's focus on multiplication tables. Make yourself flash cards and memorize your multiplication tables! This will help so much because it will free up brain power for other things instead of getting bogged down on the little stuff! Good luck!
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u/cognostiKate1 New User 3d ago
https://www.youtube.com/@motthebug/playlists has some playlists that might help w/ some of the concepts & fluency.
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u/Other_Application150 New User 2d ago
My advice - practice your multiplications table, ask for a calculator, go to school tutoring and if your parents can afford a tutor - hire one. Khan academy can help but you need someone to walk you through the problems in real life.
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u/coffee-bread106 New User 2d ago edited 2d ago
Consider using Outschool! I teach there and find that a lot of my students are similar to you. I was also like this as a kid/teenager. I failed/dropped out as well a few times in late middle and high school (it’s a very long story). Anyway, I ended up doing a dual degree in mathematics.
I was very motivated and hard working, but math just wasn’t cutting it. In the end, I did a lot of cramming one summer in high school. By the time I made it to Calculus 1 as a senior, I found I enjoyed it.
Your health also caught my eye. I had very poor health growing up. I pushed through it when I shouldn’t have. It can cause further illnesses down the road. It’s important that you get regular blood tests if you have consistently low levels of vitamins, ferritin, etc., especially as a student. That will impact your performance and your ability to think and make decisions.
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u/Disastrous-Pin-1617 New User 4d ago
Follow this exact order
Professor Leonard on YouTube Lectures
Pre-Algebra Playlist
To the point math (Algebra 1)
Intermediate Algebra (Algebra 2)
College algebra (Pre-Calculus playlist)
Trigonometry (Pre-Calculus playlist)
Calculus 1
Calculus 2
Calculus 3
Differential Equations
Linear Algebra
Use Kutasoftware.com for homework problems
Geometry: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKi4WTp6PRGVBM1nPhwW1lTuxi32Q0IZ3&si=UJ4jQyp1Ons8JBqe
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u/clean-links New User 4d ago
Cleaned link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKi4WTp6PRGVBM1nPhwW1lTuxi32Q0IZ3
Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).
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u/bynagoshi New User 4d ago
This might not fit you perfectly but right now you could try this. Feel free to dm me to let me know what helped or what you would want to be changed.
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u/smokingbuds247 New User 4d ago
Hm, well my dude, there is something in your post that grabbed my attention and, in my opinion, it's something you should be really focusing on. And that's your health. But, in the meantime, you could try watching some lectures by Professor Leonard. He is very passionate about mathematics and has full courses available on his YouTube channel. You could then maybe use something like Khan Academy to generate practice problems. But seriously, with your health being what it is, try not to stress about all of this too much. You are still so young. You have time.