Another Semester Goes By...

I know it has been a while since my last update. For a month I became focused on finishing my first Master's Degree course, preparing my educational trip to Shanghai, and closing up this January/May semester. Sorry about the lack of updates, but here I am, back again with more time to reflect on Math, Education, and Life.

When a semester ends, a chapter is closed. It is always a bittersweet sensation; especially at Prepa Tec since teachers are rotated depending on the programmed subjects for the following semesters. Moreover, students reach their next level, and one is left expecting the next batch of people to work with. I guess nostalgia is a quientessential feature of every formative experience.

This semester's closure struck me for a particular reason. It has been the semester where I had the largest amount of failures in my 3-year career as a teacher. Every profession has its "horrific confession". Medics have to confess whenever cancer is detected, CEOs and Boards must declare a bankruptcy, a bank representative has to announce a foreclosure, and a boss has to directly fire someone due to budget restrictions. In education, this "confession" takes form in telling someone he or she has failed the course. It is especially striking with a person who struggled throughout the semester, but did not quite "make it".

To all those students who have experienced this situation I daresay--do not lose hope. If you tried hard, try harder now, and never get intimidated by the success of others. It is in YOUR hands, and SOLELY IN YOUR HANDS to achieve whatever you want to pursue. As teachers we commit endless hours to provide you with all the necessary tools you need, now it is time to act responsibly. Persist. Persist, and do not get desperate in dire times. Consider Math as an opportunity, and never as a threat. I will NEVER get tired of saying--NO ONE SUCKS AT MATH. Pardon the informality of the statement, but it is true. Keep on trying, do not settle. Eventually, you will master the topics that may not appear later as equations and integrals. The analytical process you developed will help you take better decisions in life. Even emotional ones ;)

Remember this quote whenever your hands get dirty when approaching a Math or Life problem:

“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”
--Gandhi