Each year students will turn to you as their Year 10 Maths teacher for advice on which level of Maths to select for their final years in secondary school. It is a crucial decision because it can impact the choice of courses that the student will have available if they seek to go to a tertiary institution.
Obviously, your talent for the subject is a consideration. However, many students in their early years develop a dislike for Mathematics, which leads to a lack of motivation in the subject. Many cannot see its relevance to their future lives.
All is not lost for the future if a student chooses not to take a math course in high school or chooses a lesser version of the course. Most tertiary institutions offer catch-up opportunities for those who want or need to revive their Mathematics education to continue with the tertiary course of their choice.
Initially, I would discuss with the individual student their past success, their strengths and weaknesses in the subject, and what they need to do to remedy any deficiencies. We would also discuss your future career goals to see what level of Mathematics was appropriate for that career. So I would make my suggestion.
Once I have given my advice to the student on which Maths subject to select, I will try to give them an understanding of what is involved in doing senior year Maths.
This is what I would say to individual students and to students as a whole in my role as Director of Mathematics.
It is your decision to stay in school and choose the subject(s) you want to study.
Therefore, you must accept ownership of your decision and responsibility for its success or failure.
Year 11 brings you:
A greater degree of freedom to choose when and what to do;
Increased expectation from teachers that you will accept responsibility for your study/learning; and
A chance to become an adult learner.
Year 11 also brings:
Distractions in the form of paid work and social life outside of school;
A pronounced increase in the level of understanding required to be successful in your study; and
The need to constantly work hard; (Talent is not enough to guarantee your success. You will have to work harder and longer than in your early school years.)
Year 11 can bring student success through:
Learning to work ‘smart’;
Organize your time;
Establish priorities, goals; (both short and long term);
Communicate and work with their teachers; and
Find and use a mentor and be one for your fellow students.
Remember these two ideas:
You decide to succeed or fail.
Your teacher can’t do it for you. Now they are just guides on the way.
Here are some home truths I’d like to leave you with:
• What we have to learn, we learn by doing.
• Time is like money. You can only spend it once.
• Your purpose in life should be to do the best you can.
• It is good to be interested in the future. That is where YOU will spend the rest of your life.
Ultimately, whatever Mathematics subject they choose, only they decide by their work ethic how successful they can be.
