John’s Success Story

I am 55 years old, and I have a learning disability.  I have always been told that I could never learn algebra, and that I could not survive the rigorous demands of any university, so going to college would be an exercise in futility.  I surely proved them all wrong, because I am now a graduate of the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications Disorders.  College Algebra and Statistical Methods I & II are required courses to earn this degree.  Next year I plan to be back at the university pursuing my Master’s Degree.

It is my belief that “Algebra” is a language, and I have a very limited ability to learn a language.  My learning disability has also prevented me from mastering any foreign language.  Today, I still do not know my left hand from my right hand (I only know my left hand because I wear my watch on that hand). The things that you take for granted, I would have to take two to ten times longer to work them out.  That is why timed tests always give me a hard time.  I must also let you know that I was never in a class for students with learning disabilities.  I wanted to appear as normal as possible.  None of my classmates knew of my problem, and I was able to help motivate a lot of them to be successful.

I grew up in Jamaica, where math was taught under the British system.  Math was divided into three distinct areas—Arithmetic, Geometry, and Algebra.  I was quite good at Arithmetic and Geometry, but I was often told that I did not have any ability to solve most algebra problems.  I was the only one in my class who could not do algebra.  Thank God that math was not mandatory in order to graduate from high school in Jamaica.

Thirty years later, when I enrolled in the local community college, I was advised to take this really simple course, Beginning Algebra.  This was just an introductory course to review all of the very basic facts of algebra before going on to Intermediate and College Algebra.  It was my first semester in college, and the net result was that I had 2 A’s and 1 F.  You guessed it right—I failed Beginning Algebra.  I received the only F in my class.  As a matter of fact, that was the only F in my college career.  At that moment I thought that my college days were over, because I could not pass a simple course in Beginning Algebra.  This failure forced me to ask myself a few questions?  Was it me?  Was it the instructor?  Was it the textbook?  Or was it the fact that I was told that I would never be successful at algebra?

I remembered that a few good teachers played a very important roll in my academic development.  I decided that I would do some research to find out who was the best math instructor at the local community college (by “best”, I mean, who could explain and teach the subject at an understandable level).  After interviewing over 1,800 students at the local community college, I found an instructor that seemed to have the qualities I was looking for. . This instructor brought me from failure to success in math.

It is not what you teach that is important, but how you teach it.  It is not what you write in your textbook that is important, but how you write it. It was the belief of this instructor that you learn math by taking small steps.  You solve a problem by solving each line one step at a time.  You solve each problem by doing it step, by step, by step.  You have to show all your work in the textbook, so if you have a problem, you can spot it and make the necessary changes to guarantee your success. 

Recently, my fourteen-year-old daughter had a problem in her algebra class.  She was having difficulty solving equations.  She could not understand how to solve equations using the textbook that was provided by her school.  Her teacher was not able to help her either.  So, she came to me for help.  I gave her a few pointers and gave her a copy of a math book that she could read and use.  One hour later, she was an expert at solving equations.  Now, she claims that math is so easy.  I told her that math is only easy when you have the right instruction and follow the basic rules “one step at a time.”

Five Steps to Succeed in Math

1.      You need to have a good, easy to understand textbook that is written in a language that you can understand.

2.      You need to have a good instructor, who understands that some students need a little extra help in order to be successful.

3.      You need to learn how to be neat and solve problems in sequential order, completing each problem using a step-by-step approach (don’t get into the habit of taking short cuts)

4.      Remember that paper is cheap.  Use a lot of paper to show all your work, and please always use a sharp pencil, with a good eraser.

 5.   You need to find a quiet area where you can work on math uninterrupted each day (seven days a week).  It takes time to be successful in math.  Success will come if you work diligently.  Your brain tends to retain negative thoughts, so stay away from those people who put you down.  Instead, seek those who want to help you get ahead.

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