The end of term 1

We have completed 1/4 of the Pre-Calculus curriculum. What do you think about the class? Is it as hard as you thought back in early September? Do you think the work load is heavier or lighter than your previous math classes?
I love teaching Pre-Calculus. I feel this class brings so many tools from previous classes together. Now I know why I had to learn topics like factoring (so I can find the asymptotes for graphing a rational expression).
Take some time to think about the class and let me know your thoughts.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I agree with you . . . I think Pre-Calc is where you connect the dots and get the big picture, though I guess in Caculus you get an even bigger picture!
Even though this class moves fast, it is not difficult, and the workload isn't overwhelming either.
Math is one of my favorite subjects because learning something new also means learning the reason to why we learned something before. It's like a big "ahaaaa . . ." moment :)
November 15, 2007 at 5:31 PM
Mary Taylor said…
I love to hear that math is one of your favorite subjects
November 15, 2007 at 8:19 PM
R G Dewar said…
If you think that Pre-Calculus is a connect the dots class, wait until you see Calculus, where you can actually understand the dots and how they got there.
November 16, 2007 at 10:33 PM
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
November 17, 2007 at 9:43 AM
Unknown said…
I also agree with Rosemary. I feel it finally brings everything we've learned from Algebra 2 and even before that together. Now it makes sense when people used to ask "Why do we have to learn this? I'm never going to need this again." But really you do need it to show the whole picture.

Math is my favorite subject too. I don't think the work load is to bad, its just different for me because its a lot to remember, where in Algebra 2 I would learn something and it would just stick.
November 17, 2007 at 9:46 AM
Anonymous said…
I thought I was really bad at math because of my bad Geometry experiences, but I actually liked Algebra II, and Pre-Calc is pretty much more of the same. I agree with Rosemary and Emma that the workload is not too much. This is one of my favorite classes right now.

Ben Sargent
November 18, 2007 at 1:19 PM
jacklene said…
I agree with Rosemary, Emma, and Ben math is one of my favorite classes this year. I dont think it's that easy, though. It takes a lot of hard work and does involve you to understand prior math concepts. I wish we had this class G period so we could meet everyday. Sometimes its hard to remember what we did last class especially if there was a weekend in between. Overall I'm really enjoying this class and what we are doing.
November 18, 2007 at 6:03 PM
Anonymous said…
I agree with all the above in that the workload isn't too much, which lets keep that way. I like math and also enjoy understanding how things are the way they are and when everything comes together in the end saying "ohhhh." Math has been my favorite class since way back in elementary school because for some reason i understand it easily. So this has been a great class so far this year.

-Ravi
November 19, 2007 at 5:39 PM
Anonymous said…
I agree with what everyone has been saying. The workload is not that bad! I mean we do get the usual homework expected in a math class, but it is not overload. (lets keep it that way =D )

Math has always been one of my favorite calsses because it has always come somewhat easily to me. I like math this year because it is bringing together everything we have learned and using it to find out new things. The only problem I have is that I sometimes do not remember some of those older concepts. I think that is why is was dfficult in the beginning of the year. It was because we were trying to recall all of the information that we had learned way back in middle school.

--Kristen
November 19, 2007 at 7:10 PM
Anonymous said…
I think that the class is easier than what I thought it would be in September. The work load isnt overbearing, probably just a little bit more than last year. As for putting the whole picture together, I think that precalc does put a lot of thigns together, but we really should be taking Alg. II and precalc back to back. Recalling information from two years ago wasnt the easiest thing to do at the beginning of the year.
I agree with Jackie about having this class G block. I really wish we had it everyday, because math needs constant reinforcement because it is working with numbers and all examples are different. It seems like we are moving at a steady pace, and Im really enjoying the class :]
November 19, 2007 at 7:49 PM
Anonymous said…
I agree with Kelley this class is deffinitely easier than I thought it would be. Coming into precal for the first time with that review from over the summer was tough and then I was afraid the class was going to be extremly challening. But know taht we are at a steady pass everything is going very smoothly. Also, I agree with Kelley that we should have taken Algebra II and precalc back to back. Math is not one of my best subjectsand easily could be one of my worst but I feel really comfortable in this class and that I am grasping all the concepts.

-Hillary
November 19, 2007 at 10:29 PM
Kristina K. said…
I have to agree with pretty much everyone else, Pre-Calculus is definitely one of my favorite classes. I really enjoy learning how to piece together everything that Ive learned in previous years. I dont think the workload is that much, but I do have to really work hard to get everything done, and done correctly. It's not too hard, but I think it's still too early to tell if it will be as hard as I imagined in September.

I also wish we could have this class G period. Not only just because math should be reinforced, but also because I love the class so much!
November 19, 2007 at 11:01 PM
Anonymous said…
When I first got the summer packet, I thought the class was going to be really tough. I always struggled with math and I was worried about the calss. But I find that if I just get settled, do the work and take notes, then the class is not as stressful as I thought it was going to be. The work load may be slightly heavier however, it's doable.

I completely agree with what Kristen said about remembering old concepts. I think that's what I have trouble with the most in math.

To add to what everyone else said, the workload may not feel like more because it's our junior year and I think most expected a good deal of work.
November 20, 2007 at 9:42 AM
Anonymous said…
I agree with Kristen that the beginning of the year was difficult because it was hard to remember everything we learned two years ago. I think that the class is easier now because we've gone over the basics of algebra two, so we don't make the silly mistakes we were making at the beginning of the year.

I personally think that this class is easier than geometry since it is more similar to algebra. Compared to my other classes the homework isn't too bad. But whatever homework we do have takes a lot of effort, so i think it's good that the workload isn't too much. I would feel overwhelmed if we had to do too much a night.

-Kelley Morris
November 20, 2007 at 8:54 PM
Anonymous said…
So far I think pre-calculus class is a good class. I enjoy using mathematical concepts to solve different equations and watch it all come together. On the most recent test I think I did relatively well and realized that the workload is very fair towards us as students and I like everyone else would like to keep it that way. Mrs. Taylor teaches very well so we can understand everything perfectly clearly. I am enjoying pre-calculus class thus far into the year and it is easier than I expected.
~Brianna R.
November 20, 2007 at 9:36 PM
Kayla H. said…
I am finding pre-calculus a bit harder than geometry. Different sections have different degrees of difficulty. I would say I'm still pretty fuzzy on the "why" in learning all this stuff, but I guess I'll have to grow up before I find that out!
November 21, 2007 at 10:54 PM
Kayla H. said…
It seems everyone in the class has reached a consensus in how they feel about the course!! I'm going to echo everyone else's comments about how things we've learned in the past are making sense and coming in handy. We're taking things a step further. Though I sometimes find a new concept a little challenging, the workload is a very manageable weight!
November 21, 2007 at 11:02 PM
Anonymous said…
Pre-Calculus is a lot more abstract than I expected. It has a lot of graphing, and it seems to draw concepts from previous classes even more than the previous math courses did. It involves a lot of compiling prior concepts to understand a newer one, but sometimes I feel that that new concept is only a little piece of an even bigger picture.

Like Kelley, I think that the workload isn't too bad. I wish we had a better, more student-friendly textbook, but I really like how Mrs. Taylor puts review sheets on Edline to help us.
November 23, 2007 at 1:15 PM
Anonymous said…
I think the class is a little easier now that i was refreshed on all of the algebra II stuff that i forgot. There is a little more homework in this class than the last math classes that i had.
November 24, 2007 at 7:52 PM
Anonymous said…
I think that Ben, is wrong, it is not his faverite class. But I enjoy what we are doing now more than what we have done in Algebra 2 and geometry, although it is more in depth and with more steps it is more satisfactory when accopliished
-Sam
November 25, 2007 at 2:48 PM
Matt said…
I agree with Mike, I thought that I would never be able to keep up with this class when I first saw the packet this summer. I think the class is fair and I like it better than Algebra II and Geometry. Its a little more challenging and the workload is not that bad. I enjoy this class and find it challening, but also fun because of the new concepts in math that we have never seen before.
November 25, 2007 at 7:12 PM
Anonymous said…
Like Matt I also was worried about this class after the summer packet as well as the first test that we took. I figured that this class would be extremely hard and I would be struglling to maintain a decent grade, but as the term has gone on I have learned how to study for the class better and I have also figured out how to keep up with the pace of the class.
November 27, 2007 at 6:15 PM
Anonymous said…
I have been meaning to do this for a while..I hope it's not too late. I have to agree that this is a challenging class, but like sam and others I enjoy the challenge. I get satisfaction out of completing a complicated problem, pre-calc so far has brought me great satisfaction and I am looking foreward to new challanges to come. -Casey:]
November 29, 2007 at 9:05 PM
Tim Mollins said…
Haha, I'm probably the last to do this...better late than never?

Anyway, I just want to say that Pre-Calc. is my favorite class right now. While I'm learning so much, it's not overwhelming, and I feel that when I enter Mrs. Taylor's classroom I can relax a bit and just be...in my element. Math has always been my favorite subject, and Pre-Calculus is just plain fun sometimes. Putting the pieces together is so satisfactory.

In response to Michelle's comment about the non-student-friendly textbook, I believe that the text provides us with just the right amount of information and practice problems, while Mrs. Taylor really takes that information and makes it into something easy-to-understand and enjoyable.

What am I doing up at 12:45 AM? ...yeah, that'd be all the other classes' homework. ;)
December 4, 2007 at 12:47 AM
Mary Taylor said…
Tim, I just want you to know that you are not the last person to cooment on my blog. There are still 5 people that haven't written a thing.
December 6, 2007 at 2:01 PM
Anonymous said…
i'm one of those people who haven't written a thing so don't worry
i agre with most other people like ricky and matt when they said that the summer packet was hard. now that i understand the speed the class moves and the expectations i think i'm ajusting to the work load (which isn't that bad as kristen had said).
now that the year is a quarter over i am starting to like the class more and more.

~Laura
December 10, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Olivia said…
You're zooming right along!
September 7, 2012 at 1:18 PM
Anonymous said…
I remember hearing at AP night last year that Calc finishes the curriculum very early in the year. That's awesome!
September 16, 2012 at 3:14 PM
Olivia said…
This means more time for NUMB3RS ;)
September 20, 2012 at 8:36 PM
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