Educational problem.

carzony

From an early age I struggled with maths and always got extra help in school with them but now at the age of 21 it's already affected my life. I literally can't do take away, divide or multiplying in my head and would need a calculator for the most basic mathematic problems.

Reason it has affected me is because I couldnt work in shop because it would be impossible for me to work on a till, I turned down a job doing deliveries because I wouldnt be able to work out the change at the door. Anytime people mention maths I change the subject in the horror i'm asked a question


Is there really anyway to rectify this problem? As I said since a very young age I recieved extra help....

LegacyUser

there's loads of things you can do here. the first and most important thing is to not get anxious over it, LOTS of people can't so sums in their head. who cares if you'd have to use a calculator? i've personally seen a delivery driver use an app on his phone to work out change in front of me, he said it was company policy and showed me the screen. i thought at the time hey, that's a good idea, no one can accuse him of shortchanging. never once thought it was becuase he couldn't do the sums.

the leap from having to rely on a calculator and being able to do the maths in your head may be just a matter of practice, or maybe you need some help with it - have you looked into online resources like the bbc skillswise website? maybe that might be a bit too basic for you but they have worksheets you can print out and work on. if you think you might benefit from a class, have you looked into nala? http://www.nala.ie/first-steps

don't let it get you down anyway, op. x

ivytwine

Hey OP, to reassure you slightly, I have always been bad at maths, could do the basics but that's about it.

Being a sneaky one, I engineered my LC to avoid all geometry totally (pass level) because I couldn't understand it. Genuinely. From the age of 8 or 9 I had complete black spot with it, almost like a dyslexia.

Dyscalculia (dyslexia with numbers) is not uncommon. Maths was not a valued subject in my family, my dad liked it but my mother is like me, not a numbers person.

And guess what? My mother works in a supermarket and I work in a bookies!

A lot of the bets are a formula, which is why I can manage them, I know how much a Yankee costs, it's rote learning. It's not like it used to be, bets are settled by computer. Yet I do have to know how they work in case of dispute.

Please don't let this hold you back. Most retail outlets use computer based EPOS tills, you don't have to do maths. It is done for you.

I find that customers do not mind me checking something on a calculator, as long as I am quick about it. I think it reassures them that I am making sure everything is correct.

beveragelady

I've been thinking about your post since yesterday. I'm rubbish with numbers. If I have to enter a phone number or a credit card number I never get it right first time. I'm terrible at maths in general, I think it's to do with the way I visualise number-related questions. I can't be trusted to get a basic calculation right first time, even with a calculator. Ask me how many people were at the party, I'll pick a number out of the air because I can't estimate. If I'm handing back tests the kids know to check the final mark because I make mistakes. Some people, if asked to multiply five by fourteen would instantly say seventy, because they know that ten sevens are seventy. I'd never arrive at that conclusion spontaneously, because I never see the relationships between numbers.
It wasn't until I was forced to teach maths while subbing that I got my head round some basic ideas.
You say you got extra help with maths at school, have you considered the possibility that you didn't get good help? When I found myself teaching maths I was quite the surprise success because I was coming from the same place (bewilderment, despair) as the weaker students. I had to go home every night and explain tomorrow's work to myself in a way I could understand, then go in the next day and tell them what I'd learned. This often involved drawing pictures or using un-mathematical phrases. I'm sure I looked and sounded like a right dimwit. I think people who usually teach maths are mathematically minded, so they just don't get why we can't grasp things straight away. Also, if somebody is helping you, especially one on one, you are likely to pretend you understand so it'll all be over.
I know this is easy to say, but consider getting help from somebody who isn't a maths teacher. A friend, somebody who struggled with maths themselves. Work through a couple of chapters of a schoolbook together. Have a drink and a laugh.
Or, contact an adult education officer in your area, try the VEC. Explain yourself, and ask if there are any nightclasses that could help. I have huge respect for adults who take literacy classes, it takes nerve and guts and character to sign up for something like that. I'd imagine people who teach maths to adults feel the same way.
Even if you do nothing (and I think you should definitely do something) you need to drop the notion that maths is a disability. It's not a secret code or a mysterious brotherhood, it's an artificial way we have of understanding our world, and some people see things differently.
As I write this I'm remembering tears over magic squares in school, utter bafflement when faced with subtraction on a number line, and the overwhelming mystery of long-division. You're not alone!

ivytwine

beveragelady wrote: »

You say you got extra help with maths at school, have you considered the possibility that you didn't get good help? When I found myself teaching maths I was quite the surprise success because I was coming from the same place (bewilderment, despair) as the weaker students. I had to go home every night and explain tomorrow's work to myself in a way I could understand, then go in the next day and tell them what I'd learned. This often involved drawing pictures or using un-mathematical phrases. I'm sure I looked and sounded like a right dimwit. I think people who usually teach maths are mathematically minded, so they just don't get why we can't grasp things straight away. Also, if somebody is helping you, especially one on one, you are likely to pretend you understand so it'll all be over.
I know this is easy to say, but consider getting help from somebody who isn't a maths teacher. A friend, somebody who struggled with maths themselves. Work through a couple of chapters of a schoolbook together!

Ya def. I have a friend who's brilliant at maths and I asked her for help before. She was astounded that I couldn't get, what for her, were basic concepts...