My main points about the OP, are
1. I don't find his claim of not being challenged totally credible, if he was really not challenged he would have gotten good grades
2. I don't think it really matters how much is his innate tendencies to just get by and not work to excel, vs environment. I also am not sure that determining what caused the situation matters. It is his problem now, and getting used to hard work is the solution. Now how attainable that is, that is a different issue.
Not a class, class in general. All of them those semesters.
Ah that is nothing, I really couldn't read. I came across a test from the first grade when I was really identified as learning disabled. I scored in the 30% in reading and grammar, in the 95+% in math, reasoning and vocabulary. Those where my scores(more or less) nothing in between well below average and way above average.
I also had trouble focusing in classes, in sixth grade in a class of 7 students with a teacher and teachers aid, the most effective way to get me to do my individualized work program was to have me sitting next to the teacher so I did not distract myself and stayed focused. So starting and working largely by myself is not a new problem for me, and one I am well familiar with.
1. Einstein flunked math because he was not challenged...
So yes, it does matter. I flunked classes all the time because I was bored to tears--reference what I said about my experince reading--and hadn't the personal discipline (this comes from the home) to figure out how to overcome this. I'm not claiming any genius status here; you only have to be slightly above mediocre to be above the norm in a public school; regardless of their shrill protestations to the contrary, public schools do not teach to even the middle, but to the lower end kids because they are the ones that cause the most disruptions, and tend to be the ones whose parents cause the most trouble.
The problems this generates are immense. I was tagged with a "dummy" record starting in 3rd grade (I arrived at school late that year with no prep from home and, apparently no one at the school actually KNOWING I had not been there for the first 3 weeks--VERY crowded classes...I think my math class had 40 kids in a room designed for 25). When teachers would find out that um...no, that's not the case (I excelled in reading, writing, history,geography and science to a certain level) and that in fact I was often more knowlegable and more talented than they, it would cause huge problems, as well. I believe it's different now in US public schools, in general, but not entirely so. It is still largely up to the parents to recognize "gifted" or other such level in their child and DO something. The schools will not move on their own.
2. It's always good to investigate and recognize where such problems arise from in order to understand them and thereby combat them. From MY persepctive, the OP sounds to be in the cat bird's seat in this regard. Yes, we are in our culture ( I am assuming you are USian?) dichotomously told to "suck it up" even as Oprah and Jenny and well...that's all the names I really know, tell us to find someone to blame our problems on. I agree one must address one's own problems once identified, in adulthood, but that you can't do that without first finding the source of those problems.
Agreed: nobody else is going to fix this for the OP, but I believe his post in here is evidence that he's recognizing the problem (and at 22 that's very, very good) and reaching out for help wherever he can.
Scores: yes, mine were just the opposite. I sucked terribly at math (cause: probably equal parts how it was taught and aptitude--today I am moderately good at it, but had to teach myself), but excelled in reading and writing to the point where I was constantly being acused of stealing my writing from published sources...as early as the 6th grade, which also went into my "permanent record" to follow me all through school, causing me to be viewed with suspicion in every class. Of course, this was unbeknowst to me until much later. I was a very naive kid...I had no idea in hell what was going on when I would turn in what even today, I can look at and say "not a bad little piece of fiction--a bit purple, perhaps..." and have it come back to me from the teacher with a solid "C" because while they could not identify the source, and assumed I'd changed some of the words (you'd think a professional educator could tell the difference, but these were very, very ignorant people) it was assumed I'd lifted it somewhere. Unlike the OP, my parents...had their own problems and never dealt with this.
It WAS by the way, a different age, too. Teachers were very respected by parents and their word that of God for most students. I as no different. I assumed at the time that I was stupid.
Teachers in general were (and still are...remember where MOST teachers come from) so threatened by someone like me, whose record says "dummy" but who demonstrates higher level skills in some areas-- because they simply had no pedagological approach in those days. Much has been accomplished since oh, the early 80s driven by caring parents, to FORCE the dummies in front of the class and their bosses to deal with this sort of situation.
In math, even back in the day, they could always just assign higher and higher levels. My older brother is a math whiz, and this is exactly what they did for him. Their fix for me was this: in 8th grade languag arts/writing the teacher sat me in a corner by myself and told me to "write whatever you want." I virtually never saw the teacher again.
THAT, my friend, is "independent study.
In the 10 grade one of my teachers, a striving writer himself, actually stole one of my short stories and tried to get it published under his name. And yes...I know how that sounds...but that is, nonetheless, what happened.
You were not working by yourself. In fact, just the opposite. In essence, you were being privately tutored, if I am reading this correctly. Good for you, by the way, but don't mischaracterize it.
And by the way...in TODAY's world (and begining in the one I grew up in) a solid ability in math is far, FAR more important than being able to read and write. One of my children has written three complete novels (first one completed, age 12). These are not Aragorn(and if you read those books, and don't recognize where that kid's publishing house editor mother "assisted" you do indeed have problems with your reading), but they are not half-bad. She writes opera and symphonies, too. This is amazing to me and I heartily encourage it. But I also pound into her head the importance of math, for which she has much less interest and aptitude. Today, so long's you can get by in reading, and in some cases writing, you'll do okay. If you suck at math (or worse, both) you are really skroood.
Tokie
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