Asamathstudent,IhavenoticedthatmathbecomessignificantlyharderasImove

upingrades.WhenIwasatCranstonEastHighSchoolalmosteverytopicwasa
challenge.Theclasswasnotgivenmuchexplanationandwewerelefttofigureouthow
theequationsworkedonourown.Itriedmybestandmetwithwiththeteacherafter
school,butmygradeinmathdroppedtoB.IrealizedthatIneededmorehelpand
decidedtoattendanafterschooltutoringprogramrunbytheNationalHonorSociety
thestudentshelpedmetobettercomprehendtheconceptsIwaslearningaboutin
class.HalfwaythroughmyFreshmenyear,IwasacceptedattheGreeneSchool.The
mathteachertaughttheconceptsinawaythatwaseasiertounderstandandthrough
dedicatedeffort,Isoonhada4inHonorsGeometry.Thishelpedmerealizethatevenif
themathgetshard,youcantgiveup.Youmustpersevereandpracticeuntilyougetit.
Throughmymathclassesovertheyears,IhaveattainedavarietyofskillsthatIoften
useineverydaylife.Problemsolvingandanalyzinghelpwithmakinglifedecisionsand
couldkeepmefromgettinginjured.Withoutmath,mostpeoplewouldnthavejobs
consideringalmosteveryjobrequiresyoutohavesomelevelofmathematical
understanding.WhileinGeometryandAlgebraII,Icompletedmanyassignmentsthat
furthermyknowledge.InGeometry,learnedhowtofindareas,volumes,triangular
angles,aswellashowtousesines,cosines,andtangents.AlgebraIIhasgivenmethe
knowledgeofquadraticequations,formulas,parabolas,rationalexpressions,andafew
morevaluabletopics.Manystudentsmaybelievethattheywontusetheseskillsinthe
future.However,theywillneedthemiftheywishtobecomearchitects,engineers,
scientistsoranyotheroccupationthatrequiresmathskills.

Inninthgrademathclass,Istudiedanglesandlearnedhowtodeterminetheexact
degreesaswellassolveforxinvarioustypesofequations.ThedilationprojectI
completedwasmeaningfultomebecauseIinitiallystruggledwithitbuthadapositive
outcome.Thedirectionsweretotakeawordorapictureandusemathematicalskillsto
maketheimagelargerorsmaller.IchosetodrawadogandIwasabletodilateitintoa
muchsmallerdog.WhileIwaslearningaboutthetopicofdilation,Ihadahardtime
understandingexactlyhowitworked.Icouldntgraspthetopicanditwassomewhat
stressful.Iendedupdoingsomeresearchonthesubjecttogetabetterhandleonit.
WhenIwasgiventheproject,Itriedmybestandearnedaproficientgrade.
Unfortunately,theteacherwhohadthisprojecthaslefttheschoolanditisnolonger
accessible.FormytenthgradeclassIamtakinghonorsAlgebraII.Ihavebeenlearning
alotaboutquadraticequations,rationalexpressions,parabolas,andmore.Myartifact
isaposterthatIcreatedaboutparabolas.Ithadtoincludeaparabolawefoundin
natureorsomewhereelsebesidestheinternet.Myparabolawasfoundatthebeginning
ofthetheforkintheroadoftheschoolslooparoundthedriveway.Wewererequiredto
explainwhywechoseitandhowitlinkstosocialjustice.Iwrotethatithastodowith

thesocialclassesbecauseitssidesandaxisofsymmetryweretiltedeitherlow,
medium,orhigh.MybiggesttakeawayfromthisprojectisthatIwasabletolinkthis
seeminglyinsignificantparabolatosuchabigissuetoday.

SoonIwillstartDriversEd.andangleswillhaveawholeothermeaningtome.Iwill
needtodecideifIhaveenoughroomtoturnintoaparkingspace,ontoastreet,orinto
thedrivewaywithouthittingmymomscar.WhenIwasworkinginmydilationproject,I
noticedthatthesideviewmirrordilatestheimagesbehindit.Ihavefacedboth
successesandfailuresduringmytimeasamathematician.EversinceIwaslittle,I
believedthatifIdidntdowellonatestordidntunderstandaconceptwellenough,that
Iwasntgoodatmath.However,nowIcanseethatfailureispartoftheprocess.
AlthoughIwasfallingbehindinGeometryatEast,IworkedhardtomakesurethatI
understoodmylearningtargetswhenIarrivedatTheGreeneSchool.Now,inmy
AlgebraIIclassIhaveworkedhardthisyeartoachievemygoalofmaintaininga4all
year.WhenImoveuptomynextmathlevel,Iwillcontinuethisgritanddetermination.