I wanted to lie down and cry. When I got home from the student/teacher/parent conference in fifth grade my mind was in shambles. After I had done everything possible to pass math, my fifth grade teacher was actually telling my Parents about my alleged poor effort. Poor effort? Didn't I do every homework assignment? Didn't I study every night and miss my favorite television show "Full house"? From an early age, I had been taught that grades are important. Good grades would lead to a college education and bad grades would lead to being a middle class nothing like my parents were.
Yet it wasn't the math grade that really bothered me so much, but the fact that I was giving my all which clearly wasn't enough. The main thing I thought was that if I give 120% and still not passing, how was I supposed to get through another eight years of math.
I felt much anger! Now that I have begun to analyze my learning style and experiences. I realize that anger masks feelings of hurt and fear. The college factor was always on my mind. How would I ever be accepted to college? My learning issues are still always there. I got through years of math in Elementary, Junior high, and High school with lots of help. Although some of the fears have subsided, I still have a lasting memory of that fifth grade experience. If teachers only realized the power of their words, if only they would think about the impact of their statements before they spoke.