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Marcel Hall
STACC English 100
Professor Rosales
September 22, 2014
Its a Learning Process
Three hours have passed and Im still on problem twenty, I have thirty more problems to
do and I still dont have a clue on how to do this Throughout my educational experience I have
come across high points and low points, and math is definitely the large portion of the lows. I
have always been a lot better at English than math, attaining at the lowest a B. That hasnt been
the scenario for my past experience with math. So far in math I have shown a hit and miss
pattern, sometimes having a growth mindset and sometimes having a fixed mindset. It has been a
back and forth battle with math from middle school and through high school. With all my
experiences in my math classes I have shown a mix of both a open mindset and fixed mindset,
and I have found out what works and what doesnt work when it comes to succeeding in a class
in which I am not very good at.
During the first months of my sixth grade year I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my
brain due to an ear infection. This illness not only made me miss all of the school year but it had
affected my left side of my brain, which is responsible for processing math, logic, and spelling.
Instead of getting held back a year I decided to take summer school and get back on track with
my academics. After a successful summer school experience I was somewhat ready to go back to
school for my seventh grade year. Once the school year started everything was going really well
but math. I wasnt performing well on much of the tests and I was getting overly frustrated
therefore giving up on the homework. Thanks to my great teacher who was very understanding I

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was able to reengage my self to perform better. She created a 0 period class in which was open to
7th grade students struggling with math. This allowed me to practice on the material in which I
was struggling with and ask questions. With the will and might to get help I was able to raise my
grade from a failing grade to a C. This was really beneficial and I was able to pass the course
with keeping a growth mindset, understanding that I was able to pass the class with a lot of
practice and resources.
The following year I was really struggling with algebra one. I had one of the best math
teachers at my school and still failed to pass the course. This year I displayed a fixed mindset and
felt the consequences. Throughout the year I was barely getting by, I cheated on a test, which
resulted in a zero on it, and I had poor homework completion. My experience matches up with
Carol Dwecks concept about hitting setbacks, she states that students with a fixed mindset
decrease their efforts and consider cheating. I later on got tutored and it was going well for the
most part. I would do ok on the homework but would not pass the tests. This may have been
linked to keeping a closed mindset, having thoughts of the results of failure instead of success
while taking a test. I should have taken the course more seriously and put more effort to get help
directly from my teacher. I ended up receiving a 69% in the class. I tried asking him if I could
turn in a few assignments at the end to raise it to 70 but it was too late. I was in denial of how
much I was struggling and still expected to pass the class. I learned from this experience and
didnt want to repeat the same mindset the following year.
The first great experience I had in a math class was in 9th grade in algebra one. During
my previous school year I was in denial with how well I was really doing in the class and kept a
fixed mindset. Here I was able to get a new start to the subject. I spent more time on each
assignment and frequently asked questions when I had problems. Another helpful aspect was that

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I had a great teacher who made the class very easy for me. She was very understanding and
motivated everyone to work hard and succeed. Before tests she made sure everyone understood
everything and she thoroughly went over every homework assignment on the board. If students
ever did poorly on a test they would have to correct all their mistakes, this helped a lot. Overall
she had this great sense of positivity and was very friendly. She also spent a lot of one on one
time with students who needed help. I corrected my mistake of not receiving help early on and
with a growth mindset filled with open mindedness and motivation to learn and got a B in the
class.
Now I was facing geometry. I struggled from the get-go and only got help on certain
occasions. I had a really hard teacher who I felt wasnt very motivating or helpful. I didnt turn in
a lot of homework assignments and did really poorly on the tests. I was back in the fixed mindset
state and didnt reach out for help until it was too late. I ended up receiving a D the first
semester. The following semester my schedule changed and I got the same teacher I had in ninth
grade for algebra one. I continued to struggle and kept the same mindset in the course. I became
lazy and felt that it was impossible for me to pass the course. I basically gave up during the battle
and caused myself to fail the course.
During my junior year, everything clicked in geometry. I was doing well on everything
and was motivated to get a high grade. I had a really easy teacher who made proofs very
understandable and I was enjoying myself. She would put the problems on the board and work
step by step with us making sure everyone got it. I turned in every homework assignment and did
fairly well on every test. Having a growth mindset and learning from my previous mistakes and
problems rewarded me with a B in the class.

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The last math class of my high school career was algebra 2, and I needed to pass this
course in order to get into Cal Poly SLO. During the August before the school year I got hit by a
car and broke my leg and punctured my lung. I had a really rough start to my senior year due to
depression. I wasnt able to participate in a lot of the activities with my friends and I also wasnt
able to play on the soccer team during my last year. This really affected my schoolwork because
I wasnt very interested in academics since I wasnt able to play my favorite sport. I wasnt really
in tune in my math class; I was sleeping instead of doing homework and never got help until it
was too late. When I did homework I would spend hours staring at my paper hoping that I would
somehow understand the material within the blink of an eye. In the classroom I was confused a
lot and was always afraid to look dumb asking questions as Dweck states Students with this
mind-set reject opportunities to learn if they make mistakes. Whenever I made mistakes I would
ignore them and just write the correct answer instead of going back and recognize what I did
wrong. I had multiple opportunities to get help before lunch and after school but I never applied
myself. I ended up receiving a D the first semester, and instead of continuing the next semester
with a new mindset and attempt to get a B to pass the course, I dropped it. My experience is
slightly similar to former Pasadena City College student; Javier Cabral who is now a freelance
writer. He was having very little success in algebra and dropped it, keeping a closed mindset and
quitting. The fixed mindset I displayed during algebra 2 resulted to my failure of not getting into
a Cal State University.
When I was stuck in with a fixed mindset, making myself think that I was horrible at
math, not asking questions, or putting full effort I learned what the results are going to be.
When keeping a growth mindset I have learned that staying positive and fighting though
obstacles is the only way to succeed. When staying negative and not using all my resources I

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learned that I wont succeed. From my latter experiences with math I want to change the pattern
of failing and pass the first time around. The only way to achieve this goal is by breaking old
habits such as not asking questions or getting help after class. As of now my only way to get into
Cal Poly SLO is by getting As and Bs during my first 2 years of college. I know that if I engage
myself and learn from mistakes I will reach my goals. I need to succeed and I am excited to
change my persona of a low-grade student with a fixed mindset to a motivated scholar who
strives to seek all avenues for success.