It's an Exciting Day!

Hey I GOT A VERY SOLID A (94%) on my Chemistry test! WOOOHOOO! I cannot help but dance around with happiness!!! Actually several positive things happened today. (Thanks for your happy things wish Walter!)

One of COURSE was the Chem test!

The second was I was able to understand some of the troubles that were dogging my Phyiscs experience. That is the beauty of working through some of these problems with my good Friend. He helps peel back the layers and exposes things at times when I am ready to deal with them.

There is some history missing for some of you on that last post so I will try to sum it up quickly there has been some extreme incongruity between my knowledge in Physics and the grade on the tests I am getting.

One is that the tutors I have been seeing have been telling me I know the material and don't need tutors.

Two is that I have tutored quite a few other people in my class and help them come to a better understanding which means I have a good grasp on the material.

Three is that there is another girl in my class who has a good understanding of the material and is getting low test scores just like I have.

I knew all this and my tests still depressed me...it is that dragon...pushing me...my best was not enough. I could know it but if I got a C or D on the test I was not good enough.

With all that information and some recent experience unofficially tutoring my Chemistry classmates (and taking note of the fundamental reasons they were having trouble) I was able to quantify some things I have been struggling with in Physics.

CONFIDENCE: I have noticed after my tests my confidence in my abilities is at rock bottom and I cannot do the simplest problems in the homework. So part of my problem is a severe lack of confidence in my knowledge. When I can sit down and explain a problem that has stumped me to the tutor the first time I try...it tells me I lack confidence because the tutor gives me confidence that she will correct me if I am wrong and I am not often wrong.

KNOWING WHAT TO FILTER: Often teachers get excited and they give WAY more in-depth information that I need to know. Part of the process of learning is blocking the extraneous confusing info and getting the useful information. All that extra information was confusing me when I look at the problems.

SIMPLIFY MY APPROACH: Often I allow my brain to wonder, "well man that looks complicated...maybe I need to worry about this or that...how would I do that" when we haven't been taught about those things. Instead I should be taking the tools I have been given and assuming the problem can be solved easily with the tools I have and then applying them. I make the questions complicated and confuse myself.

Today I sat down and did all the Physics homework with only minor help and it all made sense and was easy just as it should be.

YEY! Thanks be to God...there is HOPE! My heart is lighter today than it has been in a very long time.