This thread is for venting the anger and sadness over all those missed opportunities and all the crap we have taken in the course of our lives, because we are dyscaculic.

Vent away!!

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It was about 20 years ago when I learned I had what was then called math dyslexia. My wife who worked with special education children saw me desperately working through a simple math equation for a college placement course, and saw the signs of my problem quite quickly. It was a relief to know I was not stupid or lazy. I must admit though, my high school math teachers suspected something wrong, as they saw me trying my damndest to do math. They always passed with me a D grade but an A for effort.

Curiously both my daughters suffer dyslexia to some degree but the youngest is a math major in college.

Still, I let my wife do most of the math in my life.

Doc

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My kids bring home math homework I can do basic math addition subtraction multiply and divide but now the schools have changed things to where the kids can find some of the answers differently from what we were taught and it really frustrates me because I can't help my daughters because the teacher wants them to do it her way even though the way were taught comes to the same answer and is actually at times easier to come to answer.Makes no sense to me.

                 Graywolf

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You are very, verey welcome Thanks for sharing.

I had one math teacher who managed to make me feel I could do it - he found out I need to work from the answer TO the problem to understand. The rest all needed me to do THEIR math THEIR way.

SB

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Yes I'm back for awhile. I survived several weeks in the hospital and am trying to get back into life. Will no doubt return for more treatment in late winter or early spring. Doing a cleaning of my life at the moment...trying to prioritize projects, finish some writing, and plan for the future as it were.

Chuck G.

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All my life teachers told me either I was stupid (wich I know now that I´m not cause I´m getting highest grades in nurse school...) or that they knew I could do much better... Well in math I couldnt... During all of my 11(?) schoolyears I had ONE teacher for 2 years that was nice to me but even with his help I couldnt understand. Sometimes I understood (or thought I did) but then the test came and off it went.

I´m so happy for this group and knowing I´m not alone!!!

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I think it's bad too - when the parents cannot help the kids at school, the kids think their parents are stupid - and it's the most natural step to start thinking "my parents are stupid, I'm stupid"...

There is a thought behind that idiocy, and that is that every child in the class should learn to do things the same way, because it might be confusing to do it differently.

But I believe it is very much due to the fact that most of the math teachers aren't very good at teaching. They are very good at math, but not teaching. (And for balance's sake, I have to say, that there are not too many good teachers in ANY subject...)
So if one child does "it" this way, and other "that" way, it is difficult to follow for the teacher. And maybe he/she doesn't understand the method the child is using...

It is unfair to get a teacher like that, when one needs all the help, support and guidance available, but the poor teacher is also doing his/her best... In most cases that's enough.

And, for balance's sake - even though this might be too confusing - sometimes one gets the right answer with wrong method, that won't work anymore, when the things get complicated...
But it is so that the things won't get complicated for the great majority of people - and if you get the right answer with the method you use, continue using it.

I was thinking of sharing my tips of counting in the tips-thread, but when I explained them to Shadow, he looked at me as if I was an alien or something, so I think I better not.

I start to think that I better keep my mouth shut...

Ket

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I looked like an alien. not because your way was alien, but because I didn't understand your were trying to share your method with me...sorry.

Please share!

Shadow

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Ket's right in saying that many teachers don't know how to teach math. Most of my math teachers would scrabble something on the board, turn to the class, smile and say,

 "there! that's how it's done!"

Then my hand would go up.

"um, Sir? I don't see how you got that equation, could you show me how you did that?"

Then the teacher would turn to the board, scrabble yet another set of numbers on the board, turn to me smiling and say,

"there, that's how it's done."

ergh! I need to know how and if I don't know the how I can't do it, plain and simple!

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, Christine and Joy, and all of you others I haven't welcomed yet!

My father is a wonderful teacher too, and he loves maths, so I knew I would get any help I needed at home - blessed be the dads

But as Joy describes, is unfortunately the "usual" way to teach maths... ANYBODY has difficulties with math that way.
I have never had any problems, except when we came to high level, and were introduced to the concept of i. That I didn't get, and couldn't understand what the teacher explained.
So I really think it's that most of the kids learn maths by themselves, and just get the approval of the "teacher", that one has done "correctly"...

BTW, Joy, I wonder if you could offer some help to Johanna, who is in nursing school right now? She will be starting the medicine counting next semester, I think.

Ket

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!!

I always wondered WHY it did what it did in maths - 'ok I understand what you are saying - but WHY is it that way, how do you get that result??'

And no amount of explaining my regular teachers did would enlighten me to the mysteries of calculations...

Shadow Bear

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MY MOTHER.

She would sit beside me while I did my math homework, and each time I got it wrong, she would slap me up-side the head.

That really made for some good learning environment, I tell you. NOT!! I was so stressed that what little I did get would have disappeared from my mind by the second or third calculation. Resulting in more slapping.

"But you are SO intelligent, this should be easy for you, if you really applied yourself...!"

Well it wasn't. I did apply myself. I worked harder than any one I knew, to get it, and still it eluded me.

Did I mention this one reason I HATE my mother.

Shadow Bear

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I'm always glad to help anyone!

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Ket

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in giving birth to a EINSTEIN i was

I can remember banging my head hard on the desk of third grade in

not understanding what a number WAS it was a nightmare for me.

i was lucky to have tutored for math. He was one to never bring home the books, graduating with honors as I had been the high school drop out hit the roald running working bringing up a son ~ he graduated with honors! Dang Iwasso scaredhewould be like me (naw, he has kinky hair...?!...)

between his own academics then genealogy I learned all of what is taught in school! VICARIOUSLY.

I  haven't stop learning yet!  I am ing it!

Great group!

I am outta here

Dixie

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  Actually, I just thought that you were confused-period.

Oh, aren't you happy that you invited this "educated backside" to this group?

Rebecca M.

DEFINITION: Educated Backside - smart a$$.

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You are so cute LOL

hugs,

Ket

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Here's a little tidbit you may not know. Highly intelligent people can get the same answers others do (almost as if from thin air) that teachers have to perform long equations to do.

They want you to do it their way because they can't figure out how you got it any other way!

Just a thought....

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I think that story is really upsetting, but it's so darned typical...
Maths is an issue in which the teacher HAS to be good. It's not enough to be "mediocre" or "ok".

I was in a school with three parallel classes, and there was three different maths teachers too. We were divided into talent groups, the best teacher took the "least talented", and the "matemathically most talented" teacher (lousy teacher, but knew everything about maths) took the "most talented" kids, and the rest were put into the third class with an average math teacher. We all had math classes at the same time, so this arrangement didn't disturb the other classes. I think this was a good arrangement. In this way also the kids who NEEDED the education got it, and not only the ones who "DESERVED" it - aka the ones who basicly took care of their own education...

Ket

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I was nearsighted too - and 'bad' at math, aswell as a 'bad' boy, so I was moved back as punishment for my 'antics' - this didn't bother me in all the other subjects, because I was/am excellent at remebering and storing any fact I HEAR in memory - but as most facts in maths are, as you said on the blackboard, I missed most of that, until I was placed in remidal class because of my 'bad' results in maths - third grade and on.

Joy - SOOOO TRUE!!!

Bad Math teachers ought to be forbidden to teach.

Shadow Bear

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Talking about math teachers-I was only able to go for two years to college-financial reasons.  But this happened to me-and I don't even have this problem.  I made straight A's all through my High School maths. 

Anyway-I had an asst. Math professor who droned.  During the entire hour of class, I don't think he changed his tone of voice one time.  Needless to say, I flunked Big Time!  through eighty percent of his class.  Hard to learn ANYTHING when you're dead asleep. 

You're right.  Some people should simply not be teachers-even if they are brilliant in their field. Is there a word for being "challenged" in the area of being an educator? 

Rebecca M.  

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You are so kind!!! Thinking of me and my medicine calculating!

Joy ~ I´ll be messaging you next semester...a lot!!! lol

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We homeschooled & I don't know how we did it, but the boys finished & both are in the military & one is a member of PhiThetaKappa in college.

AND, I'm like you guys. I get my numbers backwards. I have to say the numbers one at a time as I write them or dial a phone, or I transpose some of the numbers. Thank goodness for the computer age. That helps when I do our taxes. Anybody else a tax consultant? That's ironic, isn't it?

No, my husband is good in math & he took the boys past where I could. But learning it was hard & I still hate it.

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At least you and Peter have figured out a system that works for the two of you.  That's good!

My husband used to be hopeless when it came to getting his paychecks cashed.  He was always coming home with less than he was supposed to have.  And that MAN thing popped up, he didn't need any help with it.  I finally got him to start bringing his checks home first, before he went to the bank.  He could manage numbers one or two digits long, but more than that he would get confused. 

So I would write out a list of what he was supposed to get at the bank.  It would look something like this: 6-Twenties, 1-Ten, 1-Five, 4-Ones, Assorted Change.  Also if he took the money to pay a bill, I would do the same thing.  This is what you give them (3-Twenties), and this is what you get back (1-Five, 3-Ones, Assorted Change).

Now we have a checking account with both our checks Direct Deposited, and I write checks for the bills.  That way all he has to deal with is his spending money each week. Works a lot better, without all the confusion.  And I don't get so many headaches.

Rebecca M.

P.S. I thought ALL wombats are muddle-headed.    

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that's exactly what this thread is all about - WE KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT - having either experienced something very similar ourselves, or had our loved ones experienced that. And we are all on your side So vent away!

I was reminded of the fact that so many people cheat kids with money... I remember paying something with a 20 Marks bill, and the clerk told me that it was a 10 Marks bill... and accused ME for trying to cheat, when I tried to get my money. How confusing that must be for a child with dyscalculia...

Ket

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I am the first FEMALE to attempt college, in my family EVER. Most all my family (except 3 adult daughters) are gone. I wanted to finish my AA in general ED. but the last two classes holding me up are ALGEBRA 1 and 2!

I have been in college since 1998 and I just want to finish...and move on.

I have gotten so discouraged.

I will never need ALGEBRA.

There has to be a way around or OUT of this???

For now I am putting classes on hold.

I have tried the college tutoring program SUCKS!

I took the same teacher twice he sucks too!

Well, the first time I took his class I thought he was OK...But during the second class I realized he has his class lectures MEMORIZED word for word joke to joke everything is the same!

After the second test he says, "IF you did not pass this test then you are not getting it and should drop out!" What kind of BS is that!?

Then he says we should go to tutoring..did that!

We add our names to a list and wait for ONE tutor! Sometimes there has been 20 or more people waiting!

ALSO I can never tell the tutor WHAT I do not understand...I cannot think of how to ask questions! I do not even understand it enough to ASK questions!

 ALSO I would be going to tutoring MORE than the class! What the heck I might as well drop the class and just go to tutoring untill I get it right.

PROBLEM with that? The tutor only gets TEN MINUTES with us per time! That is not enough time for me to explain what is my question and then try to understand what the tutor is telling me.

 Very very very frusterating!

I don't even know what I want an AA for anyways...OR what difference it will make in my life!

I have a LOT of issues...

Thanks for letting me vent this one!

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Then the teacher would turn to the board, scrabble yet another set of numbers on the board, turn to me smiling and say,

"there, that's how it's done."

ergh! I need to know how and if I don't know the how I can't do it, plain and simple!

JOY...

BIG HUGS! I know exactly what your talking about!

I get so frusterated with THAT explaination 'THERE, that is how it is done!'

I could just explode!

Thanks...for sharing!

I ask WHY does it work that way?

Answer: JUST BECAUSE!

I ask HOW does it work that way?

Answer: Sometimes we don't KNOW HOW or WHY but it JUST WORKS!

GGGGRRRR!

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