I am afraid of math

Post Reply New Topic

Due to having virtually no 9th grade mathematics education, I have a lot of holes in my knowledge of algebra. This made algebra II extremely difficult. I have since dropped out and started homeschooling and I'm trying to get my GED. THe problem I'm having is with math. Every time I take a math practice sheet I start getting panicky. Then, I experience dizziness, intense pain in my stomach and a headache. It's terrible. I want to know how I cna get over this fear of math, because I want to go to college and I need my GED to do it.

I'm scared for my math results too, and my university offer for biochemistry requires a B in math. But I think I may have failed mechanics.

What you can do is hire a math tutor. I did for 1 1/2 years and my grades went up.

When I took College Algebra years ago, I too had huge holes in my high school level math. I sat in my class sweating, feeling sick, clammy, and just about like I was going to pass out... just like you described. It's because I simply didn't understand the underlying principles and therefore I had no idea what was going on at ALL. Getting a tutor and going to the Math Lab did not help me, since I didn't know what they were even talking about. The math lab nerds made me want to cry.

Since I found a solution to the problem, I'll let you know. I decided I didn't know what was going on, so I went backwards and got a book on pre-algebra. I've tried *mountains* of books and the ones I'm going to recommend are the ones I liked the best. The best pre-algebra book I used was this one "Pre-Algebra Demystified" by Allan Bluman. I very carefully went through each chapter and did EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM in the section. Then, I moved on to Algebra I, using "Algebra I, Cliffs Study Solver" by Mary Jane Sterling and OMG it was practically easy since I now had a background to understand! ( You can find all four books I recommend on Amazon, or likely in your local library.)

I don't know how high a level you need to get your GED. However, when you DO pass it and go on to college, you will be in Algebra II/College Algebra. So, the book I recommend for II is "Algebra II Cliffs Quick Review" by Edward Kohn and it's a great one.

But it also depends on how you learn. At the midterm point of my college algebra class, I had an F. A big, fat, very definite F. I took that midterm and got a 2. That is a serious F!! So I got this book and it saved my life: "Algebra the Easy Way" by Douglas Downing because it's telling you all about math but tells it like a story. So I loved it. My teacher told me that whatever my grade on my final was, would be my grade period. I assume he was anticipating I would get a C and therefore pass his class. However, since I got this awesome book, I got a 98. You want to talk about shock on the teacher's part. Here I'd been, sweating and looking green in his class, and then I suddenly whipped out an A Good thing I sat in the front of the class... he knew I wasn't cheating.

You can do this too. I thought I was just bad at math or stupid or all sorts of things. But once I went in reverse, learned all that stuff I'd somehow missed in high school, I suddenly was not only getting As in my math classes, I was liking math!!

(If you're curious, I went way beyond it now and I'm in Trigonometry & Pre-Calc to prepare for Calculus since I'm studying to be an Electrical Engineer. If I hadn't done this, I would no way, no how be where I am now.)

Hope this helps you. There is nothing worse, in my opinion, than struggling in math!

Monkeybutt gave a very good reply sharing a positive experience and specific book recommendations. Now, this approach is a well laid-out version of what I might call the foundational approach, which can certainly work. But I want you to know there are other good approaches as well.

---------

For example, you can also do well with the feel-and-texture method. This is where you get good at doing the procedure for a particular type of problem without attempting to intellectualize it. You gain enough experience to recognize when a problem is going well and you continue to feel reasonable confident as you go along until you get to the answer, which you recognize as being the type of answer you're familiar with for a problem of that sort (and with a standardized test, being reasonable confident is about the level you’re striving for).

Maths is easy if you take time to learn it step by step and concentrate. I used to not even know my times tables, but thanks to a series of bribes from my mum, I've become a lot better at maths. I've just done my final GCSE papers, I have one separate maths exam left and I'm revising like hell before it, as factors, ratios, and the like need to be brushed up on.

for some reason, I just can't understand how people can't understand maths, I think it is incredibly obvious.
maths is pure logic, so it is incredibly easy (for me).
I got in the top 1% in the USA in 5th grade when I went over there for a year even though the maths there is 3 of 4 years ahead of what I had here in NZ.

.algebra is, put very simply, rearrange an equation by Always doing the same thing to both sides, and never be scared to use an excessive amount of brackets if it makes things easier.

now calculus is a different story, and gets really quite complicated. I actually failed a course, and re took it this year. I am hoping to get an A this time which is a bit of an improvement! (exam next friday)

the problem is, that every math teacher i ever had was impatient with the slow learners and would concentrate their attentions upon the mathematically gifted ones, when they should have been paying more attention to those who actually needed help. IOW it was strictly sink or swim in math class for me, and i suspect legions of other innumerates as well.

That is a stupid way to teach. I was lucky, though, because I got taken out of the class and did my maths one-to-one.

I'm terrible at math. I'll learn it and forget it shortly after. Pretty easy to do when you never actually use it.

I have a problem keeping track of multiple steps. I quit understanding math in middle school (sort of, I could still beat the "smartest" kid in the school at algebraic equations). One time I challenged him to set the record straight for everyone. He had the better grades yes but I got all my problems right and just failed to show my work or do it in the way the teacher wanted (rather than in my head). We were once taught a 3 step method to solve some form of equation and I raised my hand and suggested an easier two step method. Teacher didn't understand it and got really mad at me for that.

Just take the algebra in college. In my experience, community college is one of the best places to learn math. You can go on ratemyprofessor to see what type of review the math professors have ahead of time. The books usually have easy examples to follow, and there are usually answers to every other question in the back of the book.

You can also get free tutoring at the tutoring center, and a lot of colleges have "courses" where you can sit and do your math homework and an instructor is there to help you if needed. You can also get testing accommodations if you qualify.

With algebra you just have to get used to two concepts. The order of operations, and the concepts of balance.

The order of operations are the same every time. You use it for simplifying equations.
1. Parenthesis.
2. Multiple
3. Divide
4. Add
5. Subtract

Example: Simplify 3(2+1)+10/5 - 1

1. 3(3)+10/5 -1
2. 9+10/5-1
3. 9+2-1
4. 11-1
5. 10

There are shortcuts but it's best to just follow the steps until you are comfortable with the concept.

Balance: Used for solving for x. What you do to one side of an equation, you do to the other side.

I'm afraid I had a rather AS concept of this for the longest time and it took me a while to get it because I was too literal about it. For example...

Before algebra, like in 3rd grade, people would tell me...

1/2 = 5/10

And I would think....no, because 1 isn't 5 and 2 isn't 10. So in my mind 1/2 was an entirely different number than 5/10

They should have told me, they are different ways to express the same quantity. Once I figured this out, I should have known that when people said....


If 2x-2 = 8

Then 2x-2 + 2 = 8+ 2

Well in my mind, that totally messed up the equation. Now I have different equations than what I started with, but as it turns out, that's ok, because algebra is like a scale.

If I have a scale, it must have the same weight on both sides to keep it balanced.

I was told 2x-2 IS THE SAME AS 8 so I am told it's balanced.

If I add 2 to one side, I must add 2 to the other side to keep it balanced.

It's no different than if you have 10lbs on both sides of the scale. If you add 8 lbs to one side, you must add 8lbs to the other to keep it balanced. It doesn't matter how you do it as long as both sides had 8lbs added to it.

If I add the 8lbs to the left side using 2 4lb weights, and 8lbs to the right side using 1 8lb weight, that's fine.


With algebra when you solve for x doing this type of thing, the "extra weight" is kind of like a place holder that goes away in the end, so you shouldn't worry about not having the same equation anymore.