Mathochism: On thin ice

One woman’s attempt to revisit the math that plagued her in school. But can determination make up for 25 years of math neglect?

I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped on my second Algebra II test. I got a 91. It should have been a 96; I was too quick to deem a polynomial a prime because it contained the number 17.

Damn.

This disappointment, however, is dwarfed by my rising contempt for the Brofessor. We have five weeks left in the term, and he is doing the math equivalent of phoning it in. From his sloppy attire (he has worn the same ratty cargo shorts and t-shirt for six sessions in a row) to the perennial five o’clock shadow to his obvious air of ennui, it is clear he has checked out of this class. At the same time, he has no problem needling his students for not asking enough homework questions after coming back from spring break. This is coming from the same individual who couldn’t be arsed to grade a few tests in that time period!

Mathochism: Bro privilege

One woman’s attempt to revisit the math that plagued her in school. But can determination make up for 25 years of math neglect?

We’re going into the sixth week of Algebra II now, and I’ve gotten a fairly good feel for the class dynamics. (Functions, sadly, still elude me.) For the most part, it’s a pretty good class. There are quite a few young men in it who could qualify as “bros,” but so far, they haven’t turned into an obnoxious bro peanut gallery (or Bropeagal), which happened in my last class.

This is largely because the instructor is a bro too. He may be 15 years older, and married, but he speaks their language. He won them over early by reassuring them he finds Algebra II as boring as they do. He comes to class late, in cargo shorts and frat t-shirts, and is happy to drop teaching to discuss global warming and poker. He counts on the fact that, due to bro culture, these young men won’t admit they don’t understand a concept because that would make them look weak, so he feels free to skip steps and slough over crucial concepts, leaving it to us women in class to protest.