October 12 - 18

Every kid's worst nightmare can be summed up into two words: math class.

Now, you must understand that I am in "Algebra 2 Honors" and this is no ordinary math class. Either way, no matter what math class you are in, the brain is sore afterwards. I think that all of you would agree.

Thank heavens for my math teacher explains every question that you have and won't stop until you understand. However, Algebra 2 is hard any way you twist it. Plus, my brother is gone now. He left for his mission on Wednesday, and failing math is now a major possibility. He would put it into words that instantly made sense, and not give me the answer, make me work for it. I hope you have all had someone like that with math, or else you may blow your brains out. They just make math not so much like imposing doom.

Will this imposing doom be facing us for the rest of our lives? Will our suffering ever be worth it? I find this a good question, personally. Have you ever asked a teacher why they are required to teach this and when we are ever going to use it again in our lives and they didn't have an answer? That makes me laugh. Or, they may have an answer that is the best anyone can do, but it still proves the subject is pointless. For example, one time this kid asked our math teacher when this was applicable in the future. Her answer? "Ever been to the post office? Postal workers use this all the time." My answer? Why in the heck are they spending an hour teaching this to every kid in the United States when less than 1 percent are going to become postal workers? Wouldn't it be more convenient to spend that time teaching the postal workers how to do this? Woah, that was a lot of questions. :) Now, I can understand when you might use algebra again. But, honestly, geometry? Unless you go into business building things, never again will geometry cross your mind. Why struggle with it when the pain is unnecessary.

Speaking of the pain, there is a lot of it. Am I alone when I say that blanking out for seven seconds during math is the end of your life? If this little experience has ever occurred to any of you, you realize the consequences. The whole rest of the period, you have that stupid look on your face, advertising to everyone else that you made that fatal mistake. Don't worry, it's happened to all of us. At least I hope. Please don't tell me I'm alone. :)

You know when you feel most alone with math? Homework. No teacher there to bring your every question to, no other puzzled children who may have some insight. Just you and fifty gabazillion pages of brain throbbing work. Another question: Why so much homework? It makes me think that these teachers were never teenagers trying to maintain a social life and good grades. A very difficult task, if I do say so myself.

Either way, there is still a large mound of this junk sitting in front of you. Who do you turn to for help? Your parents, who knew the guy on the corner who invented the wheel. I've had my parents tell me that they learned this stuff in college! Was there a sudden jump of intelligence which crammed years of information into months? I do not understand.

Now that I have given my opinion on math class, I will now go and engage in brain melting things. :)