We are now starting to get our heads above water after the transition from homeschool to college. We spent the last three or four Saturdays at the NCSU main library studying. We plan to keep going there every Saturday for the rest of the year. Every other Saturday, I go over to the GaugeCam team work session in the Weaver Labs Building, but enjoy working at the main library, too. The kids are about halfway through the first semester, have taken some mid-terms, turned in papers, and spent some late nights cramming. I think they are getting closer to figuring out how things work in the new environment. Kelly’s biology professor made the statement that if you don’t get discouraged, keep up the pressure, and work hard, you will prosper. I think that is very true. It is easy to get discouraged in a new environment where you believe you are the only one who does not know how things work. That is only overcome with effort and consistent focus.
There is a lot of pain in learning math. For me, the biggest thing to overcome, was the idea that something was beyond my understanding. When I realized that, with most things, if others could figure it out, I could, too. Kelly and I discussed that recently and I believe she has come to that understanding way earlier than I. Calculus is just a lot of hard work with a lot of difficult concepts. Both Kelly and Christian are now to the point where they know it is hard, but they also know it is possible to understand and own.
Troy & Youngin
…it took me a long time to catch on to that as well!
I think that I always knew that if I tried hard enough and wanted to learn something, that I could do it in the long run…..I just had to decide if it was worth the effort. Calculus was very difficult for Emma, but she also worked her rear end off, spent time at the math lab and got as much help as she could fit in. Having never taken it in high school (apparently, the majority of kids who take Calc 1 in college have already covered it in high school) she was very satisfied with her non-A grade! She is very happy that she doesn’t have to take Calc 2 or abover for Physical Therapy! She did, however, take Sats in a 6 week summer course, and it about did her in also, but she finished with an excellent grade. Nice to see you on again.
Man, I think our kids are having parallel experiences on this. Kelly has both Intro to Statistics and Calculus 2 next semester. It could be a long semester. The kids are working very, very hard right now–all day long, evenings, and weekends. Boy does it bring back memories. This is not going to be an all A semester in terms of grades, but it will be OK and it will be absolutely an all A semester in terms of learning new things about how to study and be organized.