Education Essay Sample: A Reading Task That Is Difficult for Me

Attending a calculus class can be one of the most life-time boring lessons ever. First of all, I hate numbers and I do not enjoy solving mathematical problems. This is also the reason why I have never been my maths teacher pet.I try very hard to avoid people who perform well in maths like a plague leave alone engaging in mathematical discussions. My father got a grade D in maths, my elder sister was stuck in a similar predicament my father went and I think I am no better. I am not superstitious, but this trend is crystal clear that it runs through our blood.

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I am a pre-med student in one of the top-ranked universities in Canada, University of Waterloo. Located in the heart of Southwestern Ontario, the university gives a serene environment for studies but not for calculus. I have never understood who came up with calculus. The lectures seem knowledgeable. Although I admire smart people, I do not find studying calculus been smart. It is just a mind-blowing subject that leaves one in wonderland. When it comes to the derivatives and then to integrals, the only thing I can do is just to stare at the lecturer for the entire lesson.

My first question to be asked in a calculus class was easy. I was dozing off to a boring afternoon class when I felt someone prickling me at my back. I woke up amidst tension and turned my neck just to meet up with a red-eyed lecturer who gave me a fierce look. He stared at me like as if I were a worm wriggling in his favorite delicacies. With a voice that seemed to come from deep inside his throat, he asked me What is calculus? Never before has a teacher asked me to define a subject he was teaching. Since I had never bothered to look up for the meaning in a dictionary, what followed was a weird moment of silence. The rest of the class glared at me and due to the pin-drop silence, I could even feel my heartbeat through my ribcage. A chain of thoughts crisscrossed my mind and all I could do was to scratch my head and just stare back. I tried to open my mouth and utter something but only gasps came from it. All this while I could notice my lecturer burning with anger and I was afraid a slap or a hefty blow would ensue. Get out! The lecturer vivaciously pointed at the already opened door. I collected my books and put them in my bag and headed to the door all this while blaming myself for what had just happened. I spent the rest of my evening in my room due to the guilt that accompanied me. The following day I was the talk of the class and that is how I mysteriously became famous.

In my former levels of studying, drawing was never an issue. I used to draw beautiful graphs and shapes and my teachers highly recommended me for that. My dreams for drawing were shattered when I was told to calculate speed from a graph. Although, this is fundamental for students to know, I did not relate this with what I was studying to become. In real life experiences, I have never seen someone use a graph to calculate, for instance, the speed of a car. I enjoy dealing with something that I can put in practice. Furthermore, I am still not aware whether I am still going to use this in my medical career.

I also find this subject wordy. The same lecturer that kicked me out of class also asked me a question few days later. He came to me with a wicked smile and tapped my desk and what followed was a question that I could not fathom , Tom has three oranges. Andrew borrows two of his oranges from Tom and, Tom then gives a quarter of his oranges to Matthew. If Andrew now has four times as many oranges Matthew, how many oranges did Tom begin with? Since before, I have had problems with such kind of questions. I was now utterly confused and this time round I also wanted to prove my worth. Repeat the question please I said in a timid voice slowly looking up to him. The lecturer stared at me just like before. I was sure something nasty would come out of his mouth. To my astonishment, he kept quiet and continued with the rest of the lesson normally. Time passed away slowly as my lecturer kept on throwing glances at me and I was afraid I would be asked another tougher question. It was now crystal clear that the lecturer had recognized me as a weak student. I could not wait for the lesson to end this time. Eventually, the lesson was over and before I could even pack my belongings, the lecturer called my name with a voice that seemed to come from deep inside the oceans. I was asked to stay behind after the other students had vacated the lecture hall. I was given advises on how calculus was the best subject on earth but all landed on deaf ears because I had sworn never to like Math before.

In conclusion, I find calculus very difficult to understand. In my point of view, it should not be taught to people who are not interested in it because it is only a waste of time for them.