hi just a little rant. i just find it so unfair people think of me as stupider just because i’m better in the humanities like literature and history as compared to maths and the sciences. i’ve just been feeling really really stupid as my whole class is great at emath and amath except for me and another girl. both of us keep getting called out by our teacher and i’ve been deemed as blur and a bad student by her? i promise im not blur i just dont understand maths as quickly as they (my classmates) do. besides, when im called up to the board or asked to answer questions i panic and i get it wrong though i know the answer. it’s also not like i havent tried asking her for consultations i just dont get it! Im not doing great for chem and the maths and my teachers have been implying i’m stupid and i feel really hurt. i also really really hate getting called on but for some reason all teachers really like calling on me this year and i panic so bad that i get panic attacks multiple times in one school day. And now im now my classmates think im a bad students who doesnt do work and doesnt understand anything. i just dont know anymore, its not like my literature and history is a consistent a1 either i give up.
Hi @user1016
Thank you for coming here to share your struggles with us and I am sorry to hear that you have such experiences with your teachers and classmates in school. I am sure you really did your best, please don’t deny yourself of that. Your effort matters and I hope you can affirm yourself more.
Remember that everyone has their own strengths and your self-worth is not defined by 1 or 2 subjects. It is so unfair when people cannot see that but I really hope you can focus more on what you are good at. That’s how you make things fair for yourself.
It does sounds like you excel in subjects that are more language based and require critical thinking, exploration in human experiences and interest in understanding of the world. Subjects like Maths and Chemistry can be rather different in terms of analytic thinking and calculation. There may be a clash due to your own experiences and interests, it is not fair to define yourself as being poor in academics just because you lack interest in those subjects. It is helpful to remind yourself that you still try very hard and have not given up; that is a great strength you have!
You may consider changing your approaches and your perspectives towards the challenges. It can be having someone who can support you in different learning styles in Maths, to get you interested and feel more encouraged. Being interested can be a helpful start towards being familiar with the subject and improving your grades.
When you are feeling anxious, take a deep breath and calm yourself down first. Remind yourself to take 1 step at a time and be patient with yourself. Here are suggestions for you to consider trying when you find yourself feeling anxious:
- Deep breathing exercises – Find a comfortable space and position yourself comfortably. Take a deep breath in while counting to 5 and breathe out counting to 5 as well. While you are breathing out, imagine that the air leaves with your stress and tension. Stay focused on your breathing and cast aside other thoughts. Repeat until you feel better.
- Grounding exercises – A five-step exercise (5-4-3-2-1) can help to ground you in the present when you are feeling anxious.
You would need to engage your 5 senses (like 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can hear, 1 thing you can taste). - Physical activity – It can be to exercise, walk around, jump a little, anything to release any pent-up energy within yourself.
I hope this helps. Hope to hear more from you. Take care!
Hi @user1016 . Firstly, kudos to you for scoring well in your humanities! Being able to score well in humans is vital if u wanna secure a place in JCs.
Actually, one of my friend was caught up in a similar scenario back when I was in secondary school. She did so poorly in math that she even went to get herself tested for dyslexia! 
Just for fun, I’m not asking u to get tested.
Even I was a slow bloomer for maths when I was studying in sec 3. It took me close to a year for me to realise that I was weak in A math. But that didn’t stop me. Apart from asking for consultations, I practised all my textbook questions, especially for A maths, which helped me get familiar with solving and strategising approaches to solve the questions.
My chem teacher used to say that performance in A math and chem are linked. I guess it is in the way you have to use multiple approaches to answer the same question. But as for chem, you have to use keywords instead of layman terms while explaining chem concepts. To do so, you have to have a thorough understanding of the content in your textbook.
Don’t be afraid of being called on. Take it as an opportunity to get validated by your teacher on how you are understanding the concept taught in class. Personally, when my teacher asked for suggestions to make the classes better, I suggested giving everyone an opportunity to work out the problems on the board as it could help us learn from others’ mistakes. So, utilise each opportunity u get to the fullest!
Hope this helps!
i’ve actually also considered getting myself tested for dyslexia HAHAH but anyway thank you! i didnt really do well for emath this time but its okay i guess since many people failed lit, i guess that makes up for my f9 lol 