"... begins with a Single Step"
For Christmas, I received a notebook with this saying on the front cover. It caught my eye this week and made me think of a "Journey" that I've been trying to take for quite a number of years.
I've never been very strong in math, at least that's how I've always felt. I couldn't have been too bad cause I made it through my college courses alright. Still I've never been satisfied with my understanding in this subject. Honestly, this is one reason (not the only reason) why I did not pursue taking the GRE; on the practice test my math scores were below normal. Say what you want about it, that really bugged me, I mean really bugged me. How bugged? Well if I'm being honest, the fact is my master's program at the school I was looking into did not care what score I got on the GRE, just that I took it. So to say the least, I'm bugged by my math skills.
Back in high school I got introduced to Saxon Math and really liked their method of reviewing the past lessons along with learning new material. None of the textbooks I had before and even after ever really taught that way. I think I figured that was really my problem with math, I never had consistent review to cement the methods in my memory.
So Saxon Math has really stuck with me through the years because I've bought some of their books hoping to finally "fill in the gaps". Funny cause I own Algebra 1/2, Algebra 1, and Calculus. Algebra 1 was bought in 1999 & Algebra 1/2 last year in 2009 with Calculus being acquired sometime in between. But it wasn't until two weeks ago that I even started working with the Algebra 1/2 book. I started midweek so I got through 2 chapters before the weekend. Then last week I fell off and only completed 1 chapter for the whole week.
This was on my mind when my eye caught the Journey saying. Even though it's been 10 years since I bought the first Saxon book, they all have a brand new appearance because I just never made it past the first week/2 weeks. The biggest challenge I'm having with this time is just sitting down and working through one chapter. The math is currently just addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Understanding how to work large numbers really. So it's stuff I already know but to get through a chapter I have to sit down and focus. Who knew "focusing" would be so difficult? And we are talking focusing for less then an hour, cause none of those chapters have yet pushed me to longer. Another challenge, which could be connected to the whole focusing bit, is waking up the mind to do math. Honestly, I never thought remembering my times tables would be difficult, we're talking 4-9 times tables, people. It shouldn't be that hard, but obviously the math portion of my mind has been unused for too long cause it's really sluggish with coming up with the answers.
Long story but my point is although "A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step" it only gets shorter when you take one more step, and then another, and then another. And that is the only way I'm going to complete my math "Journey" by doing one chapter ... today. That's all, just take one more step.
I've never been very strong in math, at least that's how I've always felt. I couldn't have been too bad cause I made it through my college courses alright. Still I've never been satisfied with my understanding in this subject. Honestly, this is one reason (not the only reason) why I did not pursue taking the GRE; on the practice test my math scores were below normal. Say what you want about it, that really bugged me, I mean really bugged me. How bugged? Well if I'm being honest, the fact is my master's program at the school I was looking into did not care what score I got on the GRE, just that I took it. So to say the least, I'm bugged by my math skills.
Back in high school I got introduced to Saxon Math and really liked their method of reviewing the past lessons along with learning new material. None of the textbooks I had before and even after ever really taught that way. I think I figured that was really my problem with math, I never had consistent review to cement the methods in my memory.
So Saxon Math has really stuck with me through the years because I've bought some of their books hoping to finally "fill in the gaps". Funny cause I own Algebra 1/2, Algebra 1, and Calculus. Algebra 1 was bought in 1999 & Algebra 1/2 last year in 2009 with Calculus being acquired sometime in between. But it wasn't until two weeks ago that I even started working with the Algebra 1/2 book. I started midweek so I got through 2 chapters before the weekend. Then last week I fell off and only completed 1 chapter for the whole week.
This was on my mind when my eye caught the Journey saying. Even though it's been 10 years since I bought the first Saxon book, they all have a brand new appearance because I just never made it past the first week/2 weeks. The biggest challenge I'm having with this time is just sitting down and working through one chapter. The math is currently just addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Understanding how to work large numbers really. So it's stuff I already know but to get through a chapter I have to sit down and focus. Who knew "focusing" would be so difficult? And we are talking focusing for less then an hour, cause none of those chapters have yet pushed me to longer. Another challenge, which could be connected to the whole focusing bit, is waking up the mind to do math. Honestly, I never thought remembering my times tables would be difficult, we're talking 4-9 times tables, people. It shouldn't be that hard, but obviously the math portion of my mind has been unused for too long cause it's really sluggish with coming up with the answers.
Long story but my point is although "A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a single step" it only gets shorter when you take one more step, and then another, and then another. And that is the only way I'm going to complete my math "Journey" by doing one chapter ... today. That's all, just take one more step.
" ... will only be completed, if you take one more step."
How about you?
