Throughout the high school years every individual has their own opinion to what they like and

dislike in school. These opinions often change throughout the time because of a teacher, strengths and weaknesses. In high school, there are certa in standards that every individual must succeed at in order to maintain an Alber t Learning High School Diploma. Mathematics is an essential part of every high sc hool students education. According to the Alberta learning standards this statemen t is true and it is true in life. Every student learns fundamentals in math that will carry with them through life. Each of these are building blocks to help sh ape who we become. As a math student, I feel math has taught me not only about c onics, trigonometry and permutations, but it has taught me thinking skills and p roblem solving that will take me further than just math class. There are times i n which you have to decide which path you will take after high school, although every path is different you will take the skills in which you have learned in ma th class to a different level. From the beginning of math in grade 1 to, for some the last math class in high s chool, each person goes through the stages of struggles and success. For a stude nt like me, math was always a struggle. I used to say, I hate math, although I was quickly corrected by you. You said that you dont hate math, you just havent had en ough practice. This statement made me think about how every concept requires spec ial attention and focus. In high school each student discovers what practice rea lly means, studying hard, completing all homework assignment and paying attentio n in class. For high school students these are hard, while you are surrounded by some of your best friends. Concentration is a skill that I will come out of hig h school math with. The dedication that this class requires teaches every studen t concentration. The concentration on this one course will help high school stud ents pursue their dreams while taking other courses to achieve this. High school students often say, I wont need this in the future, but they are wrong. As a student you may not need to know how to prove trigonometric identities, bu t you will need to use the skills of applying one concept to another in order to achieve the answer. The problem solving skills in which a high school math stud ent attains are crucial in the real world. Each problem that math students need to solve involves steps. The concept of problem solving taught in high school wi ll initiate smarter ways in which you can solve your problem. Another major influence on a high school students math education is the teacher. A teacher is crucial to a students success. The ideal teacher knows several ways to explain a certain concept. In high school I never had a teacher that I could understand their teaching method. Becoming involved in the lesson teaches studen ts to be more comfortable to be verbal during class. By doing this, it gives mat h students communication skills in front of others. Also it helps the students l earn the idea of what is being taught by putting what you know towards the new p roblem. There are several things that I never thought about which I learned in high scho ol math. The skills of communication, problem solving, and concentration have be en taught while learning the concepts of math. In our world not everyone is fort unate enough to have education like we do. As a result each student discovers ne w ideas and concepts in which will help them in the future. The skills in which we learn during high school math will be taken and applied to other situations i n our lives, whether it be the workforce or post-secondary education.