Hi,
I'm Emily and I'm new here. I've been reading a lot on the site, but its the first thing I've posted here.
I'm 20, from Belgium. I'm currently in college and throughout my school career, I've had issues with math.
In elementary school, my parents noticed that math wasn't a subject I liked. But, my other grades were fine, in fact, I was a really good pupil, so they didn't do anything with my "bad" math grades. But then, in 8th grade and 9th grade, I had this really bad math teacher. I HATED her, and I think she hated me. She failed me and I had to get a tutor. In those years, I realized I was BAD at math.
My tutor kept telling me that I should be more careful with the numbers. Sometimes, I'd write down "23" for example, when it had to be "2/3". I mean, in my head, I knew it was 2/3, but I just didn't write it down right. I also had major issues with minus & plus signs. Not only would I have to think really hard at equations, when it comes to minus & plus signs but also, sometimes I'd just write it down wrong when I was thinking the right answer.
Nowadays, I still have those issues, but I don't have any math anymore so thats a relief.
But, there are still things I find really hard to do. When I read a couple of symptoms on line, there were a LOT of the symptoms that I could relate to.
I'm not good at left or right. I mean, in normal situations I'm OK but but in traffic situations, its hard. Priority to the right, when I'm driving, is really hard for me.
Clock reading has always been hard. My mom says its because I'm too used to the digital numbers, but I just find it hard.
I'm always late. I try not to be, and I usually take the train to school, which makes it a little easier because if I miss the train, I'm screwed, haha. But whenever I have to go to some social event, I'm always a little late. Whenever I really don't want to be late, and its a new situation (not work, or school, usually social), I have to plan all the things I need to do to get ready, really carefully to get on time.
I lose a lot of things, and sometimes that's what makes me late, as well. In the morning, I often lose my shoes. That's not a good thing when you're trying to be on time.
I HATE sports, especially when I have to play it, and especially when its a team sport. I NEVER know what to do. Luckily, I don't ever have to go to gym class again, that time is over. But, I was always picked last, so thats still kind of sad for me.
I also HATE doing things like saving money. I'm really not good at it and I'm afraid, if I'll ever be on my own feet, that I'll spend it way too fast and I'll go in dept, like really bad. Hopefully, I'll have a good bookkeeper around. I'll have to!
Those are all daily things, that aren't really that important, but right now, I'm in a couple of classes where I have to deal with graphs. I have to read and explain them, but its impossible for me to do. I understand the theory, but explaining the graphs that have to do with the same theory, its really hard. Thats why I'm failing those classes.
I'm sure I'll find more "problems" to tell you guys about me, but I guess this is a long enough text already! haha.
. And I was wondering what you guys think of it? I mean could it be, that these "issues" are... maybe coincidence?
I know I should get tested, but before I do... I'd like your opinions...
Location: Texas USA Posts: 6103 Joined: 2008-05-25
8/8/12
Hi Mulee,
Hello there, way over in Belgium. Nice to meet you. Yes, what you've described does sound like many others here on the forum. You are in college. How has it happened that you don't have to do any more math? Did you pass the 'required' math for your degree?
In gym class, I always 'tried' not to get picked, except in volleyball, in which I was pretty good and got chosen as captain. With me, it wasn't that I was uncoordinated. It was that I couldn't 'multitask' for games like basketball. Also, I couldn't remember the sequence of the steps the year that we had to learn a lot of different folk dances.
Funny that you should mention loosing your shoes. I have two pair of shoes that are almost identical. Both pair are leather and lace up. But one pair is black and the other is tan. I'd been wearing the tan ones for a long time, when suddenly one morning, I couldn't find them at all. So, I had to just wear the black ones after that. Then, this morning, as a complete surprise, I moved a small parcel and there were my tan shoes underneath it! The parcel didn't look big enough to be hiding a whole pair of shoes under it. It's nice to see my 'old friends' again.
Does your college give 'accommodations' to students with a dyscalculia diagnosis? - jus'
I don't do math because the program that I'm following doesn't require math. I guess college here is a lot different than in the USA. I'm studying Communication Management, which prepares us for a job in PR or Advertisement, and I'm in the first year of college and all we're getting is economics and such. That's the class I'm struggling with the graphs. But I guess besides economics, we don't really need a lot of math in our field, so they don't make us take it.
Its part of the reason why I took the program because I could barely handle math in high school, so I would certainly not be able to handle it in college.
I don't know if my sport issues have anything to do with dyscalculia, but when I'm in the field of some sport, I can't see the wood for the trees. I always see a bunch of people throwing the ball around (or whatever sport they're doing) and I'm in the middle of it but I'm not really part of it, if you know what I mean.
But yes, in gym class, a lot of times, it seems like I can't take any of the orders. And I am NOT a good dancer, at all. Its not that I don't have a feeling for music, but I just hate following steps, its hard for me.
& Haha, at the shoe story. I know exactly how you feel. I never lose my shoes for a long time... I still got my mom around to sometimes tell me where they are, haha.
Oh, and I don't know if my school has that. But I'm not diagnosed yet, and I never really thought about might having dyscalculia until like... a month ago. So I haven't even informed myself yet, for the 'accommodations'.
Location: Texas USA Posts: 6103 Joined: 2008-05-25
8/10/12
The way your country only has you study what you'll really need to know for your job sounds more like the Australian model for education than the US model for education. I think that it's better for dyscalculics than the US model, because here they make us waste a lot of time trying to learn something that (1) we can't learn and (2) that we won't need later for the job we want. Plus, if someone just 'wants' to learn math because they 'want' to, there are still continuing education classes that a person can take. It's not like math is going to disappear just because a few dyscalculics get to take logic instead of math to complete a college degree. But I think that the math department and the math teachers at colleges here feel 'threatened' when a dyscalculic student wants to take something else instead of math. I think that they are afraid of loosing their 'job security' if anybody gets to graduate without taking their math courses. - jus'
If that's the case, I am never moving to the States, haha.
on one hand, I am very glad that math isn't required. But on another, if I do have dyscalculia, then I'll have to work things out.
It may not affect my proffesional life so mucht anymore, but it does affect my personal life.
