Types of Math Students

By: Grace Litterer

Alright, in full honesty, I am running out of ideas. However, I can always count on some sort of school-based “Types Of” article. (It’s called drawing from life.) Ergo, this article will be about Types of Math Students. I can’t tell how many times I hear students groaning about math homework. As a student in a trigonometry class, I feel a great deal of this groaning. Of course, I feel I must write about it.

The first type of math student is the Boy Scout. No, I am not making a metaphor about grades and merit badges. Instead, I am focusing on the motto. Yes, the Boy Scout is always prepared. In fact, they probably have their own math toolset, complete with their own compass, ruler, protractor, and $100 calculator that creates graphs in color. Yes, this person is equipped with the best and brightest (and most expensive) math tools. Of course, their 90-degree angles have to be perfect and their circles have to be consistent. Anything to get a head start on an A+ grade. No price is too high.

The next type is the opposite of the Boy Scout, the Unprepared. (I know. I came up with the name myself. It is original.) As the name implies, this person is always unprepared. They don’t have a protractor, compass, ruler, calculator. You are lucky if this person has a pencil. This person would rather have the teacher take 5 points off of their total than find a book cover. (Before you ask, we do have free ones at the office. However, this person couldn’t be bothered.) Don’t underestimate this person, they can often do more with pen and paper than your average Boy Scout if they feel like it.

The final type of math student is the Panicked. Now, you can usually find panicked students in any class. However, this type of panic is specific to math class. This is the type of panic that you feel when you didn’t understand the second week of class, and now you are 3 months in and you are failing the tests. This is the panic that ensues when your teacher says you should have learned this last year, but you barely passed the class. Yes, it is a specific type of panic; panic that shakes you to your very core; a panic you feel when you step into a classroom and hear you have a pop quiz in conic sections.

So, no, math isn’t just another class. It’s a state of mind, a state of mind that’ll push you headfirst into a state of panic that makes you so anxious you’re calm. Math will make you care way too much or not at all. You will pay any and every price for a passing grade, or you will designate math class as nap time. And, honestly, I couldn’t say which is better.