Hey guys!
So... the inevitable first day of school just passed and there have been so many changes to the school it was kinda unsettling lol. I knew we were gonna have a new AP but a new principal kinda sprung up on us since they revealed that our previous principal would move after school ended. The thing about our AP and principal was that they were both so chill and approachable you could just hang out and talk to them forever at lunch. The new principal and AP though... I don't know, they feel like your traditional teachers where they set this relationship of: "I'm the teacher, you're the student" and keep a strong barrier between them. Sure, there is a difference in terms of hierarchy but a likeable teacher is someone who can maintain this strong dynamic with the student. Keeping up a barrier will make it difficult for a lot of students to accept new teachers. I don't know, that's just my reflections on teachers.
Speaking of teachers, I GOT A DIFFERENT MATH TEACHER!! I'm so excited because my new teacher was the teacher I really wanted for math. My previous math teacher (if you haven't read in my previous posts) is horrible at teaching, and this is a class consensus not just me being that one hater in the class. She gave me so much anxiety because she was always so unsure when she would teach but thankfully, we have a different teacher. My older sister actually had my current teacher for General Maths and she was really happy with him because he was so passionate about teaching maths and just learning in general. And a passionate teacher is always a great teacher. The happier they are with their job, the more willing they are to teach and give us support. So yeah, I'm happy with this change because he is really approachable and organised. I am a bit concerned about his ability to teach the 3U content because one of my friends asked him a perms and combs question last year during her study period and he was unsure how to answer it. I would assume that over the holidays, he would've revisited the 3U content to make sure he was prepared for us- and I wouldn't doubt that about him because he enjoys learning.
Another new teacher I have is a new Modern History teacher. I knew we were getting a new teacher for modern because my usual teacher gave us a head's up that she will be on leave for Term 1. I was a bit concerned but when I googled the name of my new teacher... boy was he qualified to teach. I love my usual teacher because she's so pedantic and although that stresses me out, it also gives me a sense of calmness in the sense that I can trust her for giving me feedback because she likes to give feedback. But this new teacher, he has a PhD in History! I was amused because we have a high achieving academic teaching at a kinda-broke private school lol. He did tell me that he has written journal articles so I'm gonna try and dig for his journal articles lol.
With the first day of school comes marks for our first assessment. Math I kinda knew my mark because my teacher emailed it to us over the holidays. I kinda knew I wasn't gonna do as best as I wanted to because the 3U exam was my last exam and I was already exhausted with the whole year just gone by. Sure, I'm always disappointed at myself in math but I really want to bring up my math marks, and to be honest, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with my study; I do every question in my homework exercises, I actually do my homework, I ask my teacher questions and do past papers. Should there be anything I should change in my studying habits? If anyone who has suggestions please let me know!
I also got my physics prac exam back. I was dreading it because throughout prelim year, I would just pass physics when physics was the one subject that I really prepared for. I knew the syllabus back to front and contributed often to the class but my marks wouldn't show that. My physics teacher thinks that I get stressed during the exams, hindering my problem solving skills- sounds reasonable because my teacher has seen me numerous times breaking down after my exams (not as bad as tunnel vision but usually hyperventilation and just plain sobbing). But I actually didn't do as bad as I thought. I managed to come 2nd in my exam. I kinda got annoyed at the guy who came first because he's very arrogant and likes to look down on people, especially in math. But I'm in the process of scabbing marks so I'm hoping my teacher can give me the two extra marks lol.
My modern marks were also given back. I already knew how I went in the multiple choice because my teacher went through it last year but I was concerned with my short answers. I also felt under pressure with my marks because throughout prelim year, I managed to hold onto my 1st rank- but I shouldn't depend on my prelim ranks because they determine nothing. When I got my paper back, I found that I lost marks in my source analysis, except her comments were more on making my responses a bit more nuanced- personally, I'm not sure if that comment is worth deducting two marks because throughout my response, she had a few ticks and 'greats' here and there. But I still maintained my 1st place so I'm kinda content with that.
So yeah, first day back at school. I have an English speech due next Monday so I really need to cut down my analyses. My post is a bit disorganised, probably because my mind is all over the place at the moment.
Anyways, seen you soon!
- Olivia