I loved school when I was younger. I loved going everyday. I had great teachers at the elementary level....but then one day something happened....and even though I loved parts of school....I did not love school like I did at Belvedere Elementary. You might be asking yourself....why? Why did someone who loved school all of a sudden not love it anymore.....well let me tell you my story. At Conniston Junior High I had a bad P.E. experience. I had a gay teacher and she would run her finger down our backs to make sure we had showered. To this day I hate communal bathing. It definitely left a mark on me. In the eighth grade the Florida school system started a New Math program. It was a weird concept of math and our school was a pilot school for it. It was so strange that 1 + 1 actually equaled something like 3. My teacher was Mr. McPhail....neat name huh? For someone who was struggling to learn this dramatically new math a teacher with the word Phail (pronounced Fail) in their name was not a plus. My parents took night classes so that they could help me with my homework....it was a nightmare for them....and for me. Then....I went on to Forest Hill High School and math became an albatross that hung heavy around my neck. My tenth grade year our school went to computers and I was mistakenly put in an Analytical Geometry and Trig class....WARNING! I had never had plain old Geometry. I did not know who Pathagorus was....and by the end of the first six weeks....did not care....and had my very first F. The school realized it had goofed six weeks into the year, sent me to be tutored, and put me in a regular Geometry class....but I was six weeks down and still had no clue who Pathagorus was. My first test was on Friday....I'd been in the class a week.....been to tutoring once....and tutored every day by an Auburn Engineering student.....I knew what the fear of failure felt like once again....so I did something I have only done once in my life....I cheated off the boys sitting beside me. WELL....if I had cheated off the boy in front of me...I would have been fine....he had test A like me...but OHHHH NOOOO....I cheated off the boy with test B. When I got my paper back...there was a huge Marks-a-lot zero on my test with see me written in it. I was physically ill. Mrs. Rizer told me she would help me....and help me she did....I came in every morning....she had a problem on the board....and before I could erase it...I had to solve it. I learned who Pathagorus was...and believe me...I hate that man!...and finished the year with a C average in Math. I have never understood why you had to have letters in math....for goodness sake people...it is math! That means it has numbers.....NUMBERS! I was a voracious reader...could read 5 books a week...but absolutely came to a stand still when numbers and letters were used together. I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide with the best of them....even faster than a calculator....but just don't put X, Y, or Z in a math problem. By this time...I had been made to feel stupid....and so I learned in math...to be funny. Not a great idea either....I once was being a class clown in Mr. Barshell's class when I let a paper clip go zinging by the man's face...it ricocheted across the board and fortunately did not hit him. He threw me out of class. I deserved it. Since I was in the 8th grade I have suffered from a humongous phobia called mathophobia (made up word). I hated school by then and used to promise God that if He would get me out of school I would never return. Oh ...wrong move....He got me out of school only to return me on the other side. I teach....in a place I hated....and you know why? I want to make a difference. I want to be the teacher who makes the kid not feel stupid. I want to be the teacher who inspires others to go into this noble profession. I teach because I don't want any other kid feeling the way I did. Ok...so what subject was your nemesis in school? Tell me in your comment...I would love to know I am not alone in the math thing. Happy Friday.
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