Horrible at Math.

<p>I attend an underfunded inner-city school. Our curriculum is terrible, especially math. As of now our programs is as follows:</p>

<p>9th grade: Algebra/Pre-Algebra <em>(Pre-Algebra)
10th grade: Geometry
11th grade: Trigonometry (</em>Algebra II)
12th grade: Pre-Calculus (*Algebra II/Trig)</p>

<p>The asterisk followed by the words in parenthesis is what the actual course material.</p>

<p>I'm in Pre-Calculus. I have an A+, with a 95% test average (the class average is a low 50%). Generally, I do well in math classes but poorly on the math portion of standardized tests.</p>

<p>My school discourages enrolling in community college while in school(it's supposed to be a college prep school); My principal denied my requests to do independent math study for credit. I wasn't allowed to transfer because of "safety issues" (the only decent school near me is slightly more dangerous but much better academically). </p>

<p>Yesterday I decided to enroll in a community college for a summer semester. </p>

<p>I planned to work full-time over the summer. If I take CC courses, will I be able to perform well and do this? Or should I work a little less and devote myself to my studies?</p>

<p>There are no AP courses.</p>

<p>And yes, I will be surrounded by brilliant boys and girls. But I'm no slouch myself.</p>

<p>Lol that's not to imply that you are a slouch. Just getting the point across to other posters that are unaware of the quality of college you'll be attending: the students there will likely have some Calculus under their wings.</p>

<p>Im aware of Mac- the boy my daughter went to senior prom with attended Mac in chem I think- ( and her car pool friend went to Carleton)</p>

<p>Mac along with many other schools across the country has also gotten much more competitive since then ( inc Reed my daughters school)
It is a very good school, in a great location- you will have a great time!</p>

<p>If you are in precalc you may want to consider if you have a learning disabilty that impacts testing- no point in taking algebra over if you understand it- but don't do well on the placement test.
Some kids are so bright, that they are able to compenstate until high school or even college for learning disabilties.
But if you do have glichtes in your processing, that could explain the test results</p>

<p>brand-no prob- I try to remember there are lots who are lurking- who might not be familiar with the midwest schools</p>

<p>@emerald: my above statement was referring mainly to MSUDad, who was unaware of what Mac was.</p>

<p>A learning disability? It's possible. But aren't the bright but "different" students usually great at math but lacking in communication skills? I write decently and speak well. Also, I have no problems with reading comprehension -- quite the opposite, it's one of my strengths.</p>

<p>Where do I test for a learning disability?</p>

<p>But aren't the bright but "different" students usually great at math but lacking in communication skills?</p>

<p>no-
Students on the Asperger spectrum may fall under that category but there are non verbal disabilties
there are processing difficulties
people with ADD may have learned to compensate and "appear" "normal", even though a different part of their brain is used than "typicals", forcing them to use more effort and more time than is apparent.</p>

<p>My D taught herself to read @ three. She is also a great writer and in fact is making her living as a copy editor.
However, she also has significant LDs, which we have always known about only because she has been tested many times as part of a study. She has had to learn to compensate, but some kinds of math especially higher level math, doesn't cause her the difficulty as something like remembering her times tables.</p>

<p>An educational psych can do testing to determine learning differences- either through your school or outside</p>

<p><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070322132931.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070322132931.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Brand: I added enough qualifiers to my previous post to address your questions, and you're just being argumentative at this point, but I guess I'll say it one more time: as an employer I'd prefer classes more closely related to his presumably-non-math major than wasting classes on something that causes him such heartache. You disagree. Fair enough.</p>

<p>Sometimes it could the math teacher. When I was on sabbatical, I had time to help my daughter in math subject and she ended up as number one in her middle school, in Math contest even. Fast forward to high school, she had terrible 9 and 10th grade Math teacher, yes teh same one, she was lost in algebra and geometry, lost her confidence in math and now just nervous at the thought of math. However, my husband and I keep insisting that she takes 4 years of math because from our experience the subject we dislike or least like is the subject we end up using later on, so it's best to learn them now regardless of the teacher.</p>

<p>*as an employer I'd prefer classes more closely related to his presumably-non-math major *</p>

<p>but as a parent- and as an interested bystander of technology higher ed etc, what careers we may have prepared for- may be nothing like what our children will be doing & college level math/science/writing & reading skills will give them much more flexibilty and employability than taking out one of those legs ( I would also add foreign lang)</p>