My Math Autobiography

            This is my little true story of living with learning mathematics. The best moment or even the worst one that I ever had in learning mathematics, I’ll let you know about it. It was begun in Senior High School at grade x. I clearly remember that at the time, I was having a big trouble with mathematics lesson during the first semester on that grade. The topic being discussed was unfamiliar with me and seemed hard to understand. I almost failed for mostly mathematics test throughout the semester and didn’t know what I should do to overcome it. I wanted to get desired result for the test even it was only a once. I studied hard by myself but it didn’t work. I still couldn’t catch any material such as calculus and geometry in the semester very well and the result was I failed again and again. My scores were always below 60. Most people around including my mathematics teacher seemed to underestimate me because of my poor achievement in mathematics. What a pain that was. I almost gave up. I felt ashamed of myself and since then I felt that I was a stupid girl with altogether incapable. 

            The times run quickly. The next semester was up coming and I was still waiting for the miracles. The miracles that perhaps could help me get out of this worst period and also help me recover my mathematics achievement. Shortly, in the middle of the semester, I taught by miss. Puji. She was new teacher in my school and younger than my earlier mathematics teacher. What I noted from her was her teaching style that was different from my earlier teacher in teaching mathematics. She was very passionate, friendly and knew how to explain the subject very well. She never gave me any judgment because of my weakness in understanding material quickly. She was patience and made everything so easy by explaining everything two or three times in till all students in the class understood what was going on. I liked her style. Those are might be the reason why my passion to learn mathematics came back and made this semester so much easier than before. 

            I was very grateful having a great teacher such her. Since taught by her, all changed. I always got desired result for every mathematics test. I could get the second rank in my class, had a chance to join with acceleration class for the grade XI and XII, got the new predicate as one of smart students in my school and last one I could get the perfect score for national examination. I was happy with those conditions. Finally, I could get rid of my bad reputation math that I had and since then I had a habit to practice with mathematics problems at least 4 hours for a day. I had never felt more proud in my entire math career. What I thought was I just had to keep my grades up even in the acceleration class. I realized that I had to compete with my friends that mostly have a good background in math. My high school math seemed to be being very straight forward, but I had to struggle hard in that class. I had to work harder than ever. 

            Practice every day not only to deepen my understanding for all topics being taught in mathematics class but also to make me master all of it. Actually, it was quite boring for some people but for me it was very excited and I enjoyed doing that. Miss Puji said to me that if you want to get good achievement in mathematics, don’t stay away from it even you had had a worst moment with it. Just try to spend your time a little bit more to know more about it and then make you feel comfort and close with it and you will get what you want to. Those words were really touched and because of it, I inspired to make teaching mathematics as my career.

            Yes, I want to be a mathematics teacher. So that, I decided to extend my mathematics study and also the pedagogical skills regarded with teaching mathematics here at college. I want to be a teacher that can change students’ paradigm about mathematics that think mathematics is difficult and always been hard to understand. I want to help them who failed in learning mathematics. I want to push them up to get good achievement and get their best learning ever in mathematics. I knew that what happened to me can also happened by someone else outside. But at least by being a good mathematics teacher in the future, I hope I can keep math as engaging for them as my teacher kept it for me. Mathematics seems to be challenging, but I don’t want to let them give up with the challenge that they will meet in learning mathematics. I want to be on their side, always give a huge support and make them enjoy with the challenge :).

By: Himmatul 'Aliyah

2010110030