Putting the Pieces Back Together

 One time where I put the pieces back together was my sophomore year. I was really struggling in Geometry, and it did not matter how much help I got from my teacher, I just could not understand the concepts. I also did not understand how basically everyone else was getting it except for me. I remember the absolute dread of getting our tests back and not seeing the result I wanted, no matter how hard I studied. Since I had Geometry the first hour of the day, the dread followed me throughout my sleep. How was I supposed to prove that a triangle is a triangle, when the evidence is literally right there? It has three sides, does it not? (don’t come for me please) I have struggled with math ever since I could remember, so this was nothing new. I had spent so many sleepless nights worrying about math the next day, that I barely had any energy to do the work. I had to pretend I knew what the teacher was talking about, even though he explained it more than once. I will always be jealous of those who aced at everything math related, but we all have our strengths and weaknesses, I guess. When we got our schedules for the following year, I understood that I needed to take a different path than some of my peers. Instead of taking Algebra II like most kids, I would be taking a slower accelerated course that is split into two years. That way, I would still be learning the same concepts, but at a slower pace. During my junior year, I was finally able to understand everything without having the teacher explain it to me multiple times. It was also the first time I was able to achieve an A in math. I would say taking that slower paced math course was one of the best decisions I have made in my academic career. It also made my self-esteem and motivation increase, while it was not even visible prior.