cristinaclark_ Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I'm stuck in a dilemma at my school, and I need help!!! So, I chose Math as one of my HL subjects when I applied for IB. I only got an A on my IGCSEs, but decided that I would take it at HL anyways. As soon as I got to my class, my teacher instantly tried to persuade me to drop her class and take math at SL. I wasn't discouraged, and continued through her class. One by one, other students dropped the subject due to the teacher's pressure and persuasion, and we ended up having 5 students. The other 4 students had a little bit of background with prep for HL math, whereas I had none. My teacher introduces the topic, and makes us do everything else on our own - saying that if we want her to work through examples we should be in SL. We can't ask her questions when we're struggling because she will use that to persuade us to drop her class. Not only that but after taking a diagnostic test she gave me a subject drop sheet that she already signed. Anyways to get to the point - I've always loved math and I want to become an aerospace engineer. But because of her bad teaching skills, lack of support, and constant demotivation I feel the need to drop to SL. Does anyone know if dropping to SL will affect getting into a good engineering school? Does anyone have any advice? Is it worth staying in HL?I willing to put in the hard work, but I dont know if it would be worth dealing with my teacher everyday. (I would switch HL math with HL chemistry) Sorry for the long post.....I've been struggling with this for awhile and it would be great to have another opinion. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emilia1320 Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I'd stick to math HL if you want to do engineering, I am doing partial self-taught on math HL, and so far its manageable and very enjoyable even (because I love math too) 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevG Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I had an amazing teacher for my HL Math class, and he persuaded me to NOT drop math often joking about how SL is more like baby math (In some ways SL is more like baby math compared to HL since the gap is huge). Even if I had a bad test he would try to console me. But in the end I had to face reality; I wasn't going to get anything more than a 5 (And I really wanted a 7 in Math), and got predicted a 5 after my G11 Mock. I decided to drop Math to SL in IB2 for other reasons like because of how time consuming it can be and how I really needed extra points to boost my grades up so I can meet requirements for the University I'm applying to. In the end you have to decide for yourself and make a smart choice in how it will affect your future. It's good to challenge yourself, however, if you challenge yourself but do not achieve what you expected then it might not be the best possible answer to what you want to study.If you don't care about what you get, and still want that breath of knowledge HL Math provides then you should probably do it. As far as from my experience goes, HL Math is one of the most interesting and 'fun' classes I took. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cristinaclark_ Posted September 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Thank you guys for the advice. I'm going to try and stick it out for awhile and see what happens! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&m_Fan99 Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Yes HL is good to try and "put your toe in the foot", or so to say (to the same effect).If it getting too tough, you can just drop down a level to SL!Peace fofo. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharonparn Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 (edited) You could try getting a tuition teacher? They're really helpful, especially if you have issues with your teacher at school! Edited September 16, 2015 by sharonparn Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kartikeya Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 Please do maths hl. It is not that bad. I am doing it now. Never do chem hl.it is really boring and hard Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted September 16, 2015 Report Share Posted September 16, 2015 (edited) HiIt seems that your teacher wants everyone to study really hard, but the teacher may have not done enough from your description. The expected teaching hours is 240 over 2 years. This includes instructional time only, not including work periods. So if at a quarter of a year (1/8 or course, typically, 2 months), and you had only got 10 sold hours of instruction then that's no way near enough. The HL Math teacher expects to progressive content at a very high pace (like in my Year 2 the teacher would either talk or write non-stop, covering content and about 5-10 examples in every 70 minutes of class). That being said, there are several possibilities why your teacher is pressuring everyone to change to SL:1) People are grasping the content too slow or are not reading the materials ahead of class (you should do that at least once a week, if not for every lecture). The teacher is frustrated at how slow the course will progress and worries that by end of semester or year 1 the class will be way behind schedule.2) By keeping class size small, the teacher can provide more one-on-one support.3) (unlikely) The teacher just doesn't want to teach or to spend time prepping for lectures, especially if people barely do their homework.If you want to pursue engineering and continue in HL Math, you should quickly develop some decent studying habits for a Year 1, including looking at materials before hand, and finishing homework on time. In class when you have questions, you don't have to always ask the teacher, you should first ask one of your peers to help you. When all 5 of you cannot figure a question out, then go consult the teacher. The teacher wants each of you to at least struggle on a question before any hints or solutions are offered. Should there be any conflicts and you are strongly uncomfortable with the teaching style or the pressure FROM THE TEACHER (not the courseload or difficulty of the content itself), then you should talk to your teacher or even your IB coordinator to make a compromise. You should still pledge to work really hard in and out of class to grasp the material. THEN, the teacher should identify you as a person willing to go through 2 years of HL Math and should be more open to giving assistance rather than pressuring you to leave the course.-----I did not get any outside tutors. I strongly discourage outside tutors (ones you have to pay) if they are not familiar with the IB curriculum and question styles. Look for peer tutors at your school who are familiar with HL Math content and question structures.----EDIT 2:You should expect equal or an almost equal course load from HL Chem. If not you wouldn't be as successful (whether mark-wise or knowledge-wise). Edited September 16, 2015 by kw0573 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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