Subjects (Like Math, History, Music, etc.) You Simply Do Not Understand And Never Will

rastahomie

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Mar 5, 2010
I simply do not get music - at least, the academic aspects of it. I can dig a good tune as much as the next guy. But when people start talking about time signatures, chords, minor keys, flat this and sharp that, they might as well be speaking in Swahili.

The little guy that Mrs. Homie babysits (turns three in December) watches Little Einsteins(?), and it teaches kids about music. They have this sequence where they pat their knees in time to the music, with emphasis on certain beats, and I'm still lost. I remember back in first grade, our music teacher teaching the same thing (patting on the knees in time, emphasis on certain beats), and I was utterly lost. I just gave up and waved my hands around.

Similarly, math has always been my Achilles Heel. I'm pushing 50 and I can barely handle simple arithmetic. Seriously: I almost need a calculator to keep score in pinochle.
 
Higher math.
DH is a mathematician and he doesn't get that it doesn't make sense to me. It is literally as if he is speaking a different language. Now, English, history, bio, lit, I am all over that and did well in school but math does me in! Interestingly, I do "get" music even though there is a correlation between math and music abilities.
 
Electrical circuits and Statics & Dynamics. I can't follow circuits. Likewise, if it's advanced bridge structure, I can't say which beams support which part of the bridge or why. I passed those courses, but just barely. I have no issues with the associated math.
 


Algebra - I didn't understand it at all, and unfortunately had an elderly man teacher who would not help anyone who didn't understand it. His favorite phrase was "you missed the boat" if you said you didn't understand what he was talking about. Worst teacher I ever had. Sad, when a student asks for help and is turned away.

I got A's and B's in all my other classes, flunked out of the first semester of Algebra and went to General Math and did fine there. But that poor grade in Algebra was what cost me wearing the gold honors cord at graduation. Never did get over that. :(
 
Academically-speaking, I think I can learn anything, if I put my mind to it. Some things take longer than other things to learn, but sometimes that's exactly what makes them interesting. I am having SO much more fun learning Japanese, for example, than I ever did French, even if I'm not a very good student. (My big exciting revelation for today - finally realizing my Japanese keyboard is actually organized phonetically. It's not random, like the QUERTY keyboard! Wow!)

But, there's only so much time in a day, and there's lots of things that simply don't interest me very much. I don't know much about economics or politics. And I don't care to learn! :laughing:

Also, nothing will ever give me perfect pitch (or make me any less tone deaf), or good eyesight, or athletic talent, so there are simply some things I will never be able to do.
 
I enjoyed math until calculus. Never got it, never will.

I also struggled with physics. Chemistry I'd do OK, but with physics my mind never really worked that way for some reason.

I was one of those students who always took the hardest classes just because they were the hardest classes. If I could do it over again I would've not beat my head against the walls of calculus and physics and had a lot more fun in high school.
 


Math, ugh.

The calculator is my friend, lol.
I only got to Pre Algebra in high school, then opted to take 2 classes of Earth Science and Biology to get the needed credits.

In high school, I loved Government and History.
 
I am like Magpie. I have never hit a subject in school I didn't do well in. I have a degree in chemical engineering - so I saw some fairly upper level stuff in school. Out of school - other than people's motivations - I have yet to run into something I can't figure out from an academic standpoint.

The bad vision and lack of interest in trying makes athletic things a no for me. All of those people running marathons - I just think, "I own 3 cars. Why would I run 26 miles? Unless, of course, I am being chased by a really slow monster who has just eaten all of the keys to all of my cars." I just don't get it.

Also - math is my friend. Don't be hating on my friend.
 
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I simply do not get music - at least, the academic aspects of it. I can dig a good tune as much as the next guy. But when people start talking about time signatures, chords, minor keys, flat this and sharp that, they might as well be speaking in Swahili.

The little guy that Mrs. Homie babysits (turns three in December) watches Little Einsteins(?), and it teaches kids about music. They have this sequence where they pat their knees in time to the music, with emphasis on certain beats, and I'm still lost. I remember back in first grade, our music teacher teaching the same thing (patting on the knees in time, emphasis on certain beats), and I was utterly lost. I just gave up and waved my hands around.

Similarly, math has always been my Achilles Heel. I'm pushing 50 and I can barely handle simple arithmetic. Seriously: I almost need a calculator to keep score in pinochle.

Dang! Now I've got the Little Einsteins song on my brain...
 
I want to understand math, algebra and up. I get very frustrated with it. Music , I always loved being in choir.
 
For me physics was a subject that I could learn for the tests, but always felt like I somehow never really understood what it was all about. I never knew for sure if it was me or the way it was being taught. So it is on my bucket list to take a course again in retirement and see if I can see the big picture better. Of course by then my brain may no longer be able to even accomplish the learning part of it that I could when younger!
 
I am like Magpie. I have never hit a subject in school I didn't do well in. I have a degree in chemical engineering - so I saw some fairly upper level stuff in school. Out of school - other than people's motivations - I have yet to run into something I can't figure out from an academic standpoint.

The bad vision and lack of interest in trying makes athletic things a no for me. All of those people running marathons - I just think, "I own 3 cars. Why would I run 26 miles? Unless, of course, I am being chased by a really slow monster who has just eaten all of the keys to all of my cars." I just don't get it.

Also - math is my friend. Don't be hating on my friend.


I loved PE. Received the Presidential Fitness Award back the day, now I have stated that if I am found dead in a jogging trail, I was not there originally. And I jacked my knee up in high school going out for volleyball,ugh. But I do enjoy walking now.

As for your friend,Math, I would love to be able to "get it". Thankfully when dd was in high school, she was able to get it.
 
Literature and poetry. Didn't understand them, didn't care. Every time I had to take a class in them, it was pure torture. Math and science I was extremely good at. What they call "ELA" in school now (English, Language, Arts), I was capable of good grades, I just didn't "get" it.

I love Jeopardy, though I don't get to see it much. Every time a category like "17th Century French Novelists" comes up, I immediately go :confused3 :crazy2: :bored:
 
The chemistry part of Chemistry bores me, but I can learn it if I wanted to.

The math part of chemistry and pretty much all math past Algebra 1- formulas, equations, graphs, etc is something that at various points of my life I really would TRY to understand, and follow along with in class, then get home and NEVER get the right answer. I just cannot. do. it.

And fractions. If it's a fraction more complicated than what you learn in 4th grade, forget it. I spent all of my academic career just taking the hit on any test question that contained a fraction in the problem. I honestly just cannot figure them out. It's sad....lol My kids laugh at me and know not to even ask me for help.

I can write a term paper like nobody's business though! My kids definitely hit me up for help on that!
 
And fractions. If it's a fraction more complicated than what you learn in 4th grade, forget it. I spent all of my academic career just taking the hit on any test question that contained a fraction in the problem. I honestly just cannot figure them out. It's sad....lol My kids laugh at me and know not to even ask me for help.

I agree with 2/3 of what you said... :upsidedow
 
Algebra - I didn't understand it at all, and unfortunately had an elderly man teacher who would not help anyone who didn't understand it. His favorite phrase was "you missed the boat" if you said you didn't understand what he was talking about. Worst teacher I ever had. Sad, when a student asks for help and is turned away.

I got A's and B's in all my other classes, flunked out of the first semester of Algebra and went to General Math and did fine there. But that poor grade in Algebra was what cost me wearing the gold honors cord at graduation. Never did get over that. :(
My mom had a math teacher like that. I had a statistic teacher like that. He was very much in the boat that women can't do math and are wasting his time.

For me it is music theory. I can sing and I can sort of figure out notes. I cannot read music. Every time I try to learn my brain freaks out on me.
 
My mom had a math teacher like that. I had a statistic teacher like that. He was very much in the boat that women can't do math and are wasting his time.

For me it is music theory. I can sing and I can sort of figure out notes. I cannot read music. Every time I try to learn my brain freaks out on me.

I played flute from 5th - 11th grades, so I can read music but I cannot distinguish, by looking at the notes, what the sound should be. So I can look at a piece of music and play it on a flute (well, I used to be able to, haven't played in 30 years) but I wouldn't be able to hum the notes before playing. I always thought that was weird, something I definitely should be able to do, but just have never been able to.

Oh, and my algebra teacher didn't care if you were male or female, if you didn't understand you just "missed the boat."
 
I am like Magpie. I have never hit a subject in school I didn't do well in. I have a degree in chemical engineering - so I saw some fairly upper level stuff in school. Out of school - other than people's motivations - I have yet to run into something I can't figure out from an academic standpoint.

The bad vision and lack of interest in trying makes athletic things a no for me. All of those people running marathons - I just think, "I own 3 cars. Why would I run 26 miles? Unless, of course, I am being chased by a really slow monster who has just eaten all of the keys to all of my cars." I just don't get it.

Also - math is my friend. Don't be hating on my friend.

I ran a marathon back when I was an army Reservist, because all my friends were doing it. I was in the best shape of my life, running every morning. And even so, that marathon just about did me in. By the end of it, I was moving so slowly that senior citizens were slowing down to give me encouragement. No lie!

That's when I realized that I will never be a runner! :laughing:

I do still want to hike the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route some day, though. Walking is more my speed, and hiking across Europe sounds fun!
 

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