Conquering Fears
Here’s a little something I’ve discovered during my time at Evergreen. This college works with your strengths, and helps you become more confident with your weaknesses. I have been amazed with everything I have taken in here at Evergreen, and I’ve impressed myself with giving certain subjects a second chance.
Back in high school I steered far away from anything science or math related. I took only the required classes in those subjects, and kept to English and the arts. Math and science terrified me, mainly because I hated memorizing facts that had no meaning to me. Math in particular was my sore subject, but science was just as frightening. I took a biology class my freshman year of high school, and squeaked by with a C- (this was hard for someone whose report card mostly held B’s and A’s).
When I came to Evergreen I thought this would be wonderful; a school where a person can design their own academic pathway. I already had in mind what my academic pathway was going to look like, and it never touch math or science.
But soon I realized that Evergreen has a unique approach to learning; one where teachers care about how much you LEARN and not just about your grades. Plus, I was looking into becoming an elementary school teacher, and in order to receive an endorsement I would need to have taken some math and science. So I enrolled into an Algebra class at Evergreen last winter. It was amazing! A complete turn-around for me! I was the kid in high school who sat in the back row and could care less about math. Now I found myself asking questions and sitting up front. I wanted to understand algebra this time because the pressure had been eliminated. In high school I worried about what my peers might say about my grades. But since Evergreen doesn’t have grades I didn’t have the distraction to my learning environment. By the end of the course I had become passionate about mathematics, and even enrolled in another math course the following quarter.
Same goes for science. My biology course I am currently taking has opened my eyes in so many ways. I have learned a ton about biology through this two-quarter class, and I have become more confident in the subject.
I write about this because I want you all to know that sometimes it’s important to face our fears. I was so worried about taking math and science at Evergreen, but it turned out to be such a great experience for me. I discovered that Evergreen’s unique approach to learning is just what I needed when attempting to tackle a subject I feared. So this is for all of you prospective students out there who are coming to Evergreen to get away from math and science. I recommend just trying it out, you never know what you might discover about yourself.