easy as 1, 2, 3...

[Deleted]

@neigh
Elizabeth Phillips
Gretchen Holmes
@samantha
Sina Aleardi

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Back in his classroom Phillip felt a little jittery, but that was probably because he had already downed two cups of coffee and was on his third. He knew it wasn't healthy but who was going to tell him that he couldn't have his daily coffee, he needed it to deal with the students who didn't even want to attend his class. He didn't understand how you could not want to know math, yes all the things that were taught in math class weren't going to be needed in real life, just like how Shakespeare wasn't needed in real life, but knowing how to write an essay or other types of writing would help everyone in the world today. Phillip sighed and sat his travel mug on his desk and got an expo marker and began writing on the board. Algebraic Expressions. Yes every kid's dream to learn about algebraic expressions on the first day of class.


Phillip had gotten to the point with the majority of his students that he didn't care what they thought of him, just as long he taught them something. Under the heading he wrote out a word problem. Ms. Carr has two barns of academy horses. She would like to split them evenly into six separate pastures. x = the amount of horses in each barn. Use a mathematical expression to show how many horses go into each pasture. He wrote out the word problem, capped the marker and took a seat at his desk. It wasn't entirely difficult but just enough to get the students thinking.

When the bell rang his students started appearing and so he stood and leaned on the front of his desk with his arms crossed waiting to see everyone's reactions to today's lesson topic. "Please copy this word problem into your notebooks and think about it, you don't necessarily need to find the answer but if you want go ahead, we'll discuss it when I see fit." When the bell rang Phillip gave the students who just got in a few minutes to read over the problem.

"So I made this word problem from scratch, it isn't the easiest word problem, but if you read over it a few times it isn't the hardest either. Now what I'm looking for is not a number per say for the answer, does anyone want to give it a shot. No answer is a stupid answer, and I will not tolerate any bullying in this classroom, if you have something to say save it for after class." His eyes scanned the students and tried to catch someone's eye contact.

[Sina Aleardi]

Sina left her English class with a wave at Kall and then headed in the direction of her math class. So far, she had been enjoying the class-... One class that she'd had experience with. It had been a chance, and Sina wouldn't be surprised to find that math was just the same. She made use of the passing period to stop by the restroom which was neatly along her route, and then found the classroom.

Upon entering, she nodded to the man, having understood his instructions. Without bothering to introduce herself or Derecho, since the dog tended to make her the easy one to spot, Sina glanced around and then picked a seat in the middle of the first row. Why not? She'd at least get a good view of the board. After asking Der to tuck under the desk. Sina stretched her legs over the dog's body, just to prevent the dog from shifting backwards into the walkway. He did have his quirks sometimes.

After settling, Sina pulled out a quad-ruled notebook and a pencil and then flipped it open to the first page, where she carefully copied down the problem on the board. It didn't seem too difficult to her, just logically. After all, she knew that variables replaced numbers, and could go from there.

When the teacher had given everyone a chance to write the problem and glance at it, he started the class. As he asked for volunteers to take a stab at the problem, Sina glanced down at her answer, then shrugged and raised her hand. Upon being chosen, she read what she had written, "The amount of horses in each pasture would be three divided by X?" She wasn't sure what format the teacher wanted the answer in, simplified or not, but he should have told them that before asking for answers if he was going to be picky.

[Deleted]

Samantha stared at the question on the board, before writing it down in her word on laptop. It made absolutely no sense to her. She shook her head slowly having no idea what the answer could be. She took a few deep breaths to calm and collect herself, panicking or believing that she did not know the answer would not help her answer or learn how to answer it.
Please she thought silently, do not ask me to answer the question. She shuffled quietly in her seat feeling uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted to do to reveal that she possessed no idea as to what the answer to the question might be.

Why did algebra happened to be so complicated for and so difficult? She focused on her laptop screen, aiming to avoid catching the gaze of the lecturer. Surely Sam had studied enough Maths over the last few years at secondary school or high school as some called it? Apparently not otherwise she would have bolted at the door quick as a flash, leaving a cloud of dust behind her like on the cartoons when a character ran away. Unfortunately there could be no escaping from Maths, just hiding in plain sight.

[Deleted]

Tess walked from her previous class to her math class. Tess enjoyed math, and was quite good at it. She quickly glanced around the classroom looking for a seat. She saw a girl who she knew was names Sina in the middle of the front row. Next to her desk was another, close to the board, and easy for the teacher to see. Tess smiled and walked over.

Tess hung her bookbag around the back of her seat and took out her notebook. She grabbed a mechanical pencil and nodded to the instructions. The problem was simple enough, she insantly started calculating the numbers in her mind, seaching her brain for any sort of answer.

X= the number of stalls there are
So X \ 6 \ 2= X \ 3. Simple if you put your brain to it. Tess raised her hand, pretty sure that she had gotten the answer correct. After all, it would be embarrassing if she got it wrong...

Tess sat up a little bit strighter. She had found in the past from her many years of being a "goody two shoes, teachers pet" that good posture usually got you being picked to answer the question. Tess gave a small smile, looking half down at her notebook.

Tess was half releived, half disappointed when Sina answered the question, disappointed because she had kind of wanted to answer, but releived because she didn't risk being humiliated when she got it wrong, and they had both gotten the same answer, so she was now generally sure that she had gotten it correct.

[Deleted]

Rowena walked tiredly into the pre-algebra classroom. She really wasn't in a math mood at the moment. The teacher introduced himself and get to work right away. Ren took one look at the problem on the board and practically collapsed into her own arms. It was impossible to do. How was there even an answer! Ren didn't know where to start. She wrote down the problem and slowly started to dissect it. She wrote down an expression and fiddled around wirh her pencil. No matter how hard she tried, Rowena couldn't do it.

Ren watched as students got their answers, understanding what they did, and how they got it wrong or right. How was math so easy for some but so hard for others. It just wasn't fair! She wished she was nautrally good at it. Even after Ren knew the correct anwer, she still couldn't get it. She felt hollow adn weak. This was her first pre-algebra class. If everything was like this, she would be repeating. Math for sure. Ren started twirling her hair, desperate to waste the tine.

She stared down at the problem, but it was pointless. Ren was having a mini-meltdown at her desk. She just couldn't do it. The numbers wouldn't register in Ren's head. She had to admit defeat. Beat by a word problem. Rowena felt like crying. She didn't though, she sucked it up and tried to relax. Once she felt peace at mind. She looked down. Suddenly she felt a small click. The numbers made a tiny but of sense. She had done it. She had gotten the right answer.