I loved the sciences in high school, especially biology. I was lucky to have excellent science teachers throughout my education. When I was taking college education classes, I discovered that for most people, science was a reading subject. I had always learned science with a hands-on approach. I loved looking at objects in the microscope, or mixing different chemicals together to get an expected result. I had monthly science kits mailed to my house for a year as a present. So when I had a great teacher my freshman year for Biology 101, I was ready to have a great time. I remember being so disappointed when I learned at the end of that year that this teacher wasn’t going to return for the next school year. I really excelled when it came to human reproduction. For some reason (hormones), I had a great interest in this subject and I got an A+ for that unit.
I also enjoyed physical education. I’ve been gifted with an athletic body, and I really enjoyed learning and playing the various games and activities that we were taught. I didn’t enjoy the showers after PE my first couple years in high school. I was a late bloomer, and there is no way to hide that fact in a mass shower. I dreaded those times, but the physical activity before that made it worthwhile.
I took drafting as an elective one year. The swim coach’s father was the teacher. I enjoyed that class, because you didn’t have to memorize anything. You just had to be precise. I have horrible cursive handwriting, and it was about this time that I started to write in capitol letters. I was having a hard time reading my cursive, and I got so that I could write just as fast using printed capitols. I’m sure that came from the lettering we had to do on our drawings.
I liked math OK, and I understood and did well with geometry. I loved that you could draw out the answer. I also loved to do proofs. They were like puzzles to me. I kind of lost interest in math when I got to Algebra II and Trigonometry. I am too hands-on, and the upper levels of math got too symbolic for me.
I struggled in most classes that required very much reading. Dyslexia wasn’t something that got diagnosed then, but I had a hard time learning to read. It took me longer than most to see and recognize words and to be able to string it all together to form a thought. I was enrolled in a special reading class in eighth grade. In this class, we were taught to scan and skim for key words. It was the equivalent of an Evelyn Woods Speed Reading Course. It helped me with a few reading strategies, but I have always been a slower than normal reader. However, what I do read, I seem to remember much longer than most people. As can be expected, I just got by in English and Social Studies classes. There was just too much reading to keep up with.
Overall, I was mostly a “B” student in high school. I did what I needed to get by in most classes. When it came time to apply to colleges, I had an OK GPA, but I needed a good SAT score to qualify for a UC. I was a horrible test-taker. There was way too much reading to be done in too short of time. I did best in true/false and multiple-choice questions. I didn’t do so well when it came to essay questions. I finally figured it all out about my junior year of college. I learned that you didn’t need to read everything and understand each and everything. You just needed to learn what the teacher figured was important. Once I figured out that you just had to give the teacher what they wanted and nothing more I did pretty well. It also helps to raise your hand and answers questions in class…especially in the first three weeks. You want to be seen as an “A” student. First impressions are lasting and hard to change.
I really enjoyed the last two years of high school, but it wasn’t because of the exciting classes I was taking. I finally gained some self-confidence and made friends. It was the interactions I had with my friends that made high school enjoyable, not the classes and homework.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 