Author: D. Nancis
Prompt#1
https://stemeducationjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40594-020-00246-z
Basically the article said that math anxiety usually arises when in people with low self-efficacy. In layman’s terms, your math skills are only as strong as the effort you put in. Personally, I never experienced math anxiety, but I have experienced math stubbornness. I would overestimate my own math skills and this would turn around and bite me. I butted heads with Calc 1 all the way through until I realized the privileged position that I’m currently in. My department chair once said, “There’s 100 waitlisted people looking for your 1 seat. So take heed and take advantage with quick haste.” To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over the stubbornness. It’s gotten me this far (but with a grain of salt of course). But one day, I hope that my mental wars with math will one day lead us down a path of least resistance.
Prompt # 3
I tell myself I’m bad at math ALL the time. I’ve never had a natural affinity to math and I’m absolutely jealous of those with said affinity. Happened every day in Calc 1 I was absolutely horrified. Truthfully, I only made it out of that class by the grace of God and a very understanding professor. Honestly, I stare at the math until something clicks. Sometimes it takes hours. Sometimes days. It just happens to work for me. I think it’s the rigidity of math that turns people off. There’s room for some interpretation but nothing like ethics or psychology. I saw an interesting video (Outliers: Why Some People Succeed and Some Don’t) where he goes into details on why geographical upbringings affect how we view math. It changed the way I approach math completely. Basically, if you come from a geographical background where intense work is required (say the harsh rice fields of China) and compare it to the “not so intense” (say the farms of the bread belt), the intense work ethic required to run the “intense” geographical background translates to us generations later. In short terms, the effort of the physical labor translated into years of intense dedication to the maths and scienes. I know its cliche, but the way I see it, the only way to overcome any hardships in math is to simply put in more effort than you previously did. It’s a great think experiment at the least.
Why hello there! My name is Deon Nancis and my major is Computer Engineering. Since I could remember, I’ve always wanted to be an architect. But the sudden realization that I needed a semblance of drawing skills turn me of fairly quickly (which didn’t really bother me too much). My family has always told me that when I was in diapers, I would rip apart my brother’s toys with no idea how to put them back together. To this day he still hasn’t forgiven me! Many years passed and my native intuition in technology blossomed when the movie The Martian released in theaters. I didn’t want to be Mark Watney. I wanted to be one of the engineers on the ground testing theories on repurposing dead satillites, cutting holes into rovers and transforming living quarters to growing potatoes. This movie and what it stands has and still is keeping me motivated to complete my degree.
Once I graduate, I plan to go to graduate school for a hardware related degree and work for an agency that will allow me to go to school and work part time but I’m not sure where will that be. One day, I will work for the Jet Propulsion Lab and help design the hardware that will help humanity reach the outer planets and beyond!
My favorite animal is the tortoise. They’re sturdy, reliable and self sufficient. Not to mention, slow to anger. All traits I try to strive for.
My favorite book/movie is The Martian by Andy Wier for the above mentioned reasons. I’m also a massive fan of the novel version of Ready Player One (the movie is trash) and any Tom Clancy novel.
I really enjoy building Japanese model kits called Gunpla. They are based on the giant humanoid machines known as Gundams which have many different seasons which go by the same name. My personal favorite is the Barbatos Lupus Rex.
When I’m not building Gunpla, I enjoy raising my blood pressure by watching my NFL NY Giants absolutely stink up the field with their terrible play.
For most of my life, I’ve wanted to work from home. Covid and the lockdown have changed my perspective on this completely. I realized that I want to be around others but will work independently. Going back on campus has been a revelation for me. Frankly, I didn’t learn much during the lockdown. Part of it was me and part of it was that I wasn’t in an optimal learning environment for me. Now that I’m back in front of a professor with chalk and blackboard, I know that I’ll be back on track to succeed! I greatly appreciate the time that you have put into reading a little (not really a little
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