#piecewise functions are fun

[chiistarri]

im so smart i finished this math before the rest of our table

[goatnpc]

💗 || Hi, I'm Cess, a proud scholar! In this blog, I'm excited to share my journey through Math 3 Second Quarter that's filled with challenges, discoveries, and personal growth. From problems and hurdles to breakthroughs and learnings, I'll be reflecting on the experiences that have shaped my understanding and appreciation for Math. Join me as I go over my learning experiences! :))

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚

MATH 3 JOURNEY

>>2nd quarter

a. How would I describe my Math 3 second quarter learning journey?

Personally, the second quarter of Math 3 was a nightmare.😵 Why? because its level of difficulty began to increase. Plus, there were a ton of distractions throughout the second quarter, particularly the numerous vacation days and days off from school. Because of the suspensions and vacations, I find it to be a significant barrier to my academic progress; all subjects' lectures had to be rushed, with a ton of workloads that left us with little time to complete. This was really exhausting and difficult because, in my opinion, hurried lessons are equivalent to lessons that students would easily forget.

b. Which topic did I find most enjoyable? What made it enjoyable for me?

Since they were simple and I had already studied them, 😎 the subjects that I liked the most were those covered during class suspensions. To be honest, I only like lessons that I can understand, and I find it even more enjoyable when my classmates are the ones who are confused, which I know is odd. But it's simply because I can help them if they don't understand, and I like to help my classmates understand subjects that they don't fully grasp.

c. What concepts did I find easy to learn?

Piecewise functions were the easiest concept for me to understand because they were similar to what we had already learned in CS 2. It reminded me of the if conditions in C++, which gave me flashblacks of the struggles I had with my codes.

d. What concepts did I find most interesting/inspiring? Why do I think so?

Signum functions struck me as the most intriguing concept since it made me think of the word 'sigma', which many Gen Zs and Alphas find oddly funny.

e. What concepts have I mastered most? Why do I think so?

Probably inverse functions because it is the topic that was kind of fun for me. It was fun for me because all I had to do was switch the x and y. (but of course, the basics are also very important here)

f. What concepts have I mastered the least?

The concept I mastered the least was definitely transformations. It was difficult for me to visualize what was happening to the graph. I found it also difficult to analyze equations and relate it to graphs. This confusion had me wondering who on Earth even came up with the idea that numbers and letters can represent lines and stuff.

g. Notes I have for:

i. my teacher;

Sir Joseph is a really caring teacher. He genuinely cares for his students—not just about their grades but also their health. I remember the time when I was frequently sick, which made me unable to attend classes. This caused me to fall behind and struggle to catch up when I finally returned to school.

When I went to the faculty room to accomplish my admission slip and have Sir Joseph sign it, he talked to me about health and fitness. Until now, I still remember that conversation, and I’m currently trying to apply what he taught me. I run during weekends whenever I have the time, which has really helped me stay alert throughout the day. Running allows me to forget my stressors and focus on the track ahead of me. After my runs, I feel accomplished and complete. It has significantly improved both my physical and mental health.

Plus, I get to spend quality time with my friends. I really enjoy running with them while we listen to our playlists and talk about what’s happening in our everyday lives.

Second, he is a great and funny teacher. I find his lessons enjoyable and engaging because he inserts jokes randomly into his discussions. This not only makes the lessons more relatable but also helps form a bond between the teacher and students, improving the students' focus and involvement during discussions.

ii. my classmates;

Regarding my classmates, they are really smart and helpful. Whenever I'm unsure about my answers, I ask them for clarification, and they are always willing to help me. In this section, we genuinely put effort into helping each other, especially through board work and demonstrating how to solve problems. This collaboration also helps us prepare for long tests.

iii. myself

One wish I have for myself is to stop getting sick because it really hinders my learning. Taking medications often makes me feel drowsy and sleepy during classes, which prevents me from fully grasping the lessons. I feel bad when it’s evident that I’m struggling to stay awake in my teachers' classes.

💗 || That marks the end of this blog. Thank you for joining me as I reflect on these wonderful experiences. Math 3 Second Quarter was definitely challenging, but in these struggles, I found growth and inspiration to do better and keep on improving.

[ophizz]

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚Math 3 Reflection🪷

Imagine going fishing, with your trusted bucket and a big cooler with ice, but when you get there, you forgot to get your fishing rod. You thought to yourself, it's okay, I'll just get a stick and maybe the fish will bite onto that. Which if in a scenario where you actually know what you're doing, it would work. Unsurprisingly i don't have the determination to wait, and try. So I gave up even though there was a fishing gear store right beside the lake. With just a small set back I gave up even though there were perfectly good resources around me that could've helped me achieve my goal and probably I could have had multiple fishes in my ice cooler if only I didn't give up. But who am I to delude myself that I could look past small mistakes and keep trying when I know that I will never follow through on my promises. 

On a positive note, a topic I liked was graphing the piecewise functions, majorly because I wasn't suffering through a migraine throughout the day. Although it was fun because you draw lines and that for me was enjoyable. And also the fact that you kind of merge the lines to make this big function thing. I found it easy to understand but it made me go back to remembering my roots and learn how to graph because I don't know how to graph certain equations anymore ;(

Additionally, the easiest one by far is the inverse function because it's just like finding x. It's simple, straightforward, and concise. Although getting the domain and range does get confusing because not always can you imagine how the function would translate into a graph. 

I didn't find any of the math concepts inspiring. None of it. Although it isn't because of how it was taught or who taught it or whatever external factors. It's just that the subject material makes me just want to rip my hair out because numbers just don't translate as easily as letters do in my brain. Thinking about it, maybe all of the math concepts were inspiring. Inspiring me to just give up and let God lead the way. Just kidding! What a joke! ahaha!

Moving forward– I think I have mastered getting the inverse of a function the most, only because it's very similar to finding x which we always do. It's simple and straightforward, just isolate y and there you have the inverse, or at least I hope I think I've mastered it. Maybe its just my ego thinking that because its simple and i was able to do it, ive mastered it already. Knowing who i am and what i am, i know that i could never master anything because of my lack of patince. 

Transformation of functions is the hardest concept to grasp. It's all patterns so logically it should be simple but no, I’m stupid. I can't find the patterns so most of the time when I'm answering transformation of functions I'm just guessing. Although when it's just one part, like how many units did it shift to the right, I'd be able to answer. That I can do, but when you give me a before and after transformation of a function and ask me what changed, I would bet you my right kidney and left foot that I would not be able to answer you sir. Especially when you add the order that they are supposed to be in? I'd much rather bet on the odds that I'd win a round of pusoy dos, than answering the question correctly. 

What quick notes do you have for:

i. your teacher;

Sir Joseph, I'm sorry. For all my actions, for all I've said, for all I am that you know me to be. I hope that you forgive me, although I know that there is a slim chance, I still pray that my being is redeemable enough. I won't promise anything anymore. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I failed, I am well aware, I know I shouldn't give up but I will, I do. It's nothing personal I promise. It's me that's the problem. Sir, you are one of the most attentive mathematics teachers I've met and it's no joke sir. You put everything on a silver platter yet students like me fail to take the opportunities. I'm sorry sir. I hope you know that I truly am sorry sir. I'm sorry.

ii. your classmates;

They're cool, I mean, everyone is okay, nothing much for them. I hope they keep up their studies and we could all graduate as a batch.  

iii. Yourself?

I hope I won't promise anyone anything ever anymore. I hope I learn from my mistakes. I hope my apologies could sound more genuine. I wish my apologies translate as genuine as the way they are in my chest. I should learn. I should study. But I know I’ll give up. I won’t do anything about it. An irredeemable piece of flesh guaranteed to suffer in the everlasting flames of hell. 

end note: I have given up on what I am in math, in all my subjects. An obvious decline is seen in all my subjects and I know math wouldn't be the one who has the worst decline. I like to think that I am capable at math but I know full well, deep down that I am not. That I could never be what I wish to be as a scholar. And every night I wish and pray that I wasn't the person that I am. That my physical self and all the opportunities that came with it would've been given to a more grateful soul. Im sorry Sir Joseph, I truly am. I hope you won't forgive me. I know that you will forget, and Im happy about that prospect. If you won't, then I hope you will. Thank you for being our math 3 teacher. Im so so sorry.

[anonymoustriangle174]

Alright top five words

Uhhh

Ok off the top of my head all I can think up are weird uncommon compound words like hitherto and unbeknown (which I’ve been trying to use more just for fun). I’m a big fan of endeavor, very useful word. I also like instrumental because it sounds fun. On a completely different note I always enjoyed the name of piecewise functions in math, though they suck to actually do math problems with. I’m not sure if this is actually accurate to my top 5 words but those were what first occurred to me!

[mitchi-witch]

‘Obvious’ is the most dangerous word in mathematics. — Eric Temple Bell, Scottish mathematician

ABOUT ME

Hello everyone! I am Mitzi V. Resuello, a grade-9 student from Philippine Science High School (PSHS-CARC). Today, it is my great pleasure to share with you my Math 3 Learning Journey for the second quarter. Here, I will share my insights, advice, and most especially my journey filled with highs and lows.

QUESTION #1: HOW WOULD I DESCRIBE MY MATH 3 2ND QUARTER LEARNING JOURNEY?

Never was much of a math genius, just a normal student who gets neutral grades in Math.  Every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday or Wednesday, the class I belong to has Math in its schedule. Well, if I were to describe my Journey in Math 3 second quarter, I would say that this quarter is full of topics on a rollercoaster that is moving on broken racks. The first Long Test for this Quarter is tough like the typhoons that conquered the first half of the quarter. The topics covered in this portion have appeared to be too complex for me to carry on easily.  On the other hand, my performance for the other half of the quarter is better than the last one. For me,  the topics here are much easier compared to the last topics. I wouldn’t say that it’s easy, for me, it’s still hard. Overall, I would describe this quarter as tough as a rock like the story of Sisyphus.

QUESTION #2: WHICH TOPIC DID YOU FIND MOST ENJOYABLE? WHAT MADE IT ENJOYABLE FOR YOU? PROVIDE CLEAR IMAGES OF YOUR SOLUTIONS TO SAMPLE PROBLEMS OR EXERCISES ON THE TOPIC.

Even though this quarter has not been good for me, I would still say that I have enjoyed learning various topics. I wouldn’t include some of the lessons that I have already tackled from previous grade levels and that we “re-learned” this quarter such as the synthetic and long division of polynomials. Anyway, I enjoyed learning about piecewise functions.  I don’t know, but I enjoyed and found this lesson super fun. I guess it would have been because they’re fun to graph, you just have to familiarize yourself with what the graph of a certain function looks like.  For me, knowing the domain and range of the function based on its given conditions is really a game-changer.

Sample Problem #1:

Solution:

Sample Problem #2:

Solution:

QUESTION #3: WHAT CONCEPTS DID YOU FIND EASY TO LEARN? WHAT DO YOU THINK MADE IT EASY FOR YOU? 

As I mentioned earlier, learning about piecewise functions is enjoyable and I would say that it’s pretty much easy due to being knowledgeable of how the graph of different functions looks like. It is also a big help if you know how to get the domain and range of the function. Another concept that I found easy was step functions since I've already put into my mind that if its a floor function, the value will be rounded down, if it's a ceiling function, the value will be rounded up. 

QUESTION #4: WHAT CONCEPTS DID YOU FIND THE MOST INTERESTING /INSPIRING? WHY DO YOU THINK SO? 

The concepts I found the most inspiring is the Transformations of Functions. For me, this concept doesn't only teach us a new math information but also a life lesson on how any person will have a noticeable effect for every factor that affects them. Additionally, I find signum functions really interesting. It is very intricate but amazing at the same time. I think it's because it's kind of similar to piecewise function but the values of x just revolves around zero and it's value also centers only on a given number, the negative of that number, and zero.

QUESTION #5: WHAT CONCEPTS HAVE YOU MASTERED MOST? WHY DO YOU THINK SO?PROVIDE CLEAR IMAGES OF YOUR SOLUTIONS TO SAMPLE PROBLEMS OR EXERCISES ON THE TOPIC.

My most mastered concepts are Transformations of Functions and Piecewise Functions. I think I have mastered these concepts because I've already found the what-to-do's and what-not-to on answering these problems. These shortcuts and game-changers are applicable on any type of situations or problems in the field of these topics.

Sample Problems:

Solutions:

QUESTION #6: WHAT CONCEPTS HAVE YOU MASTERED LEAST? WHY DO YOU THINK SO?PROVIDE CLEAR IMAGES OF YOUR SOLUTIONS TO SAMPLE PROBLEMS OR EXERCISES ON THE TOPIC.

I am really struggling on the topic of Rational Zero Theorem and Descartes Rules of Signs. I think it's a really complex topic for me. I know how to factor to find the value of x but I just get really confused and empty when it comes to this topic. For me, it's because there are so many test-values that you have to try.

Sample Problem #1:

Solution:

Sample Problem #2:

Solution:

QUESTION #7: WHAT QUICK NOTES I HAVE FOR:

a. Your teacher;

For my Math 3 teacher, sir Joseph, I would say that he had accomplished on demonstrating the topics to us. He made sure that we really understood it by giving board works and individual assessments. He's really approachable and helpful.

b. Your classmates;

I think it's really inspiring that some of us are willing to help and tutor others. For me, that really shows our relationship with one another. I'd say that we should keep it up! On the other hand, I think that some of us relies too much on other people that we don't even review when there's an upcoming test because we know someone out there will teach us. Although it's good, I don't think that those amount of information that is just taught in a short span of time will be remembered throughout the whole examination.

c. Myself;

I know that this quarter isn't the best for me. I am deeply held down by a lot of setbacks but that doesn't really explain and makes up 90% of my performance, therefore, I can't blame it on external factors because it's very clear that it's on me. I don't take this as a grudge against myself but a chance for improvement and it's an opportunity for me to assess myself. The biggest piece of advice I can give to myself is to seek immediate help if I don't get the lesson. I should've never kept it for too long that it led to last-minute learning of all the concepts from the very start. I think I just tortured myself for this since I will have to focus on Math subject during exams week and I would also need to allocate a lot of time into this subject.

That ends my learning journey for Math 3 second quarter. I hope my story had inspired you and and gave you new learnings about Math 3. Thank You!

[tadeadshihamurder]

i think if i had to teach about piecewise functions, it might be fun to use the 'particle in a box' model from quantum mechanics as an example ... though i know not everyone in a math class might be interested in that .... but i'll say personally, it would've been more interesting to me than the random appearance of piecewise functions in every problem just to make them more 'challenging' (read: really annoying)

[1989doolittle]

cant stand harry styles fans or x reader writers fr

[limutosgerald16]

School Day: Sept. 5, 2022

Today began the second week of hybrid classes. I’m currently an 11th grade student studying at SJC. I chose the strand STEM because I wanted to follow my dreams of working for the aviation industry. Today, we held the classroom officer elections during our first period. It was very fun but I never expected to be nominated as an officer, let alone win. For our second period, we were taught about the origin of the world and some background information surrounding it by Sir Mamino. The third period is where we learned about the evolution of the web, technology types, history regarding the internet, and is also the reason why I’m writing this very blog. We then had General Mathematics for our fourth and final period. We checked each other’s homework and fortunately, I got a perfect score. I’m very happy with that  since I spent a long time studying the lessons and the process. After that, we were taught how to model piecewise functions in word problems. It was simple from what I remember but I know all too well how math can go from 0 to 100 real quick. I will continue to study well so long as I still have ambitions to chase after and parents to make proud.

[arcticdementor]

You may have thought the only culture war happening in hospitals right now was because of COVID, but here's a fun one: this week, the University of Washington's clinical facilities announced

plans to go live with the CKD-EPI equation without race as a component/parameter. This decision was made after careful review and many discussions with stakeholders. [snip] Please know that the discussion and ultimate decision to avoid using the equation with a race term was prompted by concerns raised by UWSOM [School of Medicine] students.

I learned of this from a triumphant tweet thread by Elizabeth Stein, a student who was "stunned, horrified" when she was taught to take race into account when estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR), aka the flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney, which is calculated based on the levels of creatinine in a blood sample. A few perspective pieces and round-table discussions later, everyone has come to understand that race is a social construct, and the backwards and racist practice has been ended with the race term simply removed from the equation by UW and its doctors.

There's a problem with this, which you can probably anticipate, and it's that race is empirically a very important predictor for GFR levels. Here's the equation they were using:

GFR = 141 * [piecewise function of creatinine level and gender] * 0.993Age * [1.018 if Female] * [1.159 if Black]

This equation was developed by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) in 2009 as a significant improvement on the previous equation, which also included terms for gender and race. Racial differences in GFR are well-supported by the data; some studies have actually advocated more racial categories to include Hispanics etc. In contrast, here's the new equation used by UW Medical:

GFR = 141 * [piecewise function of creatinine level and gender] * 0.993Age * [1.018 if Female]

Simply removing the race variable reduces a black patient's GFR estimate by ~14%, a very bad thing to do when high GFR is the primary indicator for chronic kidney disease and is needed for calibrating drug dosages. Indeed, a study published just this March concluded that the removal of race from the equation results in significantly poorer and more biased estimates of GFR.

I'm bewildered by this. Is this the most egregious example yet of anti-racism infecting science, or is there a steelman here? In the replies to the tweet, a lady with the handle @thenephrologist, who Liz Stein thanks for being "a true hero and pioneer in this work," says something about black Americans having a "3.5x faster progression to #esrd [kidney failure] than wypipo." Which seems like the opposite of saying that race is a social construct (which isn't a strawman, as the students advocating for this change "hosted discussions during orientation to discuss race as social construct.")

I've asked for clarification (edit: welp), but in the meantime it's all just baffling. Won't this lead to just another statistic about how the American healthcare system disadvantages blacks?

[brentgablopez]

First Monday.

Hi! Brent here. I’m just gonna tell about my experience in school on this day. Today was super fun! My anxiety was partially relieved. We started the day having our homeroom election, and luckily was elected as on of the Public Relation Officers. In the next hour, our teacher in Earth Science discussed about the theories on how the universe was made, one of that is the Big Bang Theory that follows the keyword explosion. After that our educator in ICT came to class and talked about Technological Convergence, its modalities, difference of Web Pages to Websites, types of websites, and the Evolution of The Web. Before we end the day, the teacher in General Mathematics gave word problems and solved it by himself with generous explanation for us to absorb the concept and ways in making piecewise functions. That’s all.

[whimsyprinx]

OOOUGH I want to do a math problem SOOOO bad. I love math (but fuck the letter y still). I want to SOLVE EQUATIONS and DO PROCESSES and MAKE A PIECEWISE FUNCTION that LOOKS LIKE AN ORCA

he’s the math equation my friend sent me after I told her to send me one, it’s free of the letter y. go off, have fun, maybe also give me the ability to do math and enjoy math as much as you do

[srirachian]

Functions as Mathematical Models

What surprised you today

I was surprised on how the problems are being used. This gave me little trouble on how to get the problem. I think it is hard for me to identify the variables and imagine the graph. The practice Exercises made it a lot better for me to understand.

What’s the most important thing you learned today?

The most important thing that I learned is that it is easier for me to do the piecewise-defined functions. I have fun in doing this topic and I easily understood it because of the key answers. It made me clear on where I was lacking and now know where too improve. 

Where should you start tomorrow?

I should start to read the modules and practice the knot part of it. By doing that not only it will hone my understanding of the problems it will be a practice for the upcoming long test. 

[angeltriestoblog]

Your Comprehensive Guide to Surviving Grade 11

WARNING: The longest post I’ve ever made in the history of my blogging “career” is up ahead. Nevertheless, please read it so my efforts won’t be wasted.

In a nutshell, last school year was me trying to secure the Guinness World Record for the number of breakdowns on a bedroom floor. The amount of workload was unforgiving, the pressure to perform was crippling, the competition was inadvertently fierce and the standards set were higher than fun.'s friends in the Empire State. (Please get this reference.) Surprisingly, I survived and lived not only to tell the tale but to also help incoming Grade 11 students prepare for the year that is to come so they won't have to deal with the many risks of premature stress like I did! This is where this guide (with some unnecessary blabber on the side because will it really be an Angel Martinez post without it) comes in. Though it's a given that not everything that happened to me won't apply to you, I still hope you use these to better your experiences and emerge as a stronger and more productive person! Like me, I guess. In a way. 

To kick this off, let me just say that I know this notice might be coming in a little late, since enrollment for most schools (in the metro, at least) have already come to a close. Thus, by the time you've read this, you may have already chosen a strand of your own! The selection of some schools may be limited to the basics: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) and Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) which are all pretty self-explanatory in terms of the topics of focus. But from what I know, others also offer Arts and Design and Sports for those who wish to devote their full attention to the talents they wish to hone and even a general academic strand for the benefit of those who remain undecided. I, for one, chose ABM: I didn’t feel like committing to a certain career yet and wanted to opt for the safest option among the choices.

The process of choosing which way to go is pretty intimidating at first especially once you figure out that the rest of your life may very well be at stake. But, it isn't that much of a pain once you reflect on your interests enough and see if those align with what you want to do and where you want to be in the future, if that’s not too forward looking for you! I know a couple of people who’ve had to compromise their true passions for the sake of pleasing their families. Whether it’s to continue a legacy that’s been passed down for several generations or fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, some parents believe they have every reason in the world to demand their children’s future, even if it’s obviously against their will. Yes, I believe that it’s their responsibility to guide their kids through the process of figuring out what they want to be in such a fast-paced and ever-changing world where anyone can influence and be influenced for better or for worse. They must be able to provide the insight that only they possess after all the years they’ve spent collecting wisdom. They should help us plan out what’s gonna be on the blueprint of our lives, not finish it by themselves, present it and expect us to follow without any questions.

But as per usual, I digress. TL:DR choose the track you want, you don’t owe anything to anyone.

Generally, Grade 11 will be the hardest year on you. It doesn’t care if you came terribly unprepared, if you haven’t slept a wink in eons or if the people you live with barely even know who you are anymore. It’s unforgiving and relentless in the pursuit of giving you the biggest ordeal of your life. Based on my personal experience, I reckon it’s due to the fact that our teachers stand by their decision to treat us as young adults, seeing as we’d be in first year college anyway if the K-to-12 program wasn’t a thing. When we were children, everything we needed to know about a certain topic would be put on a silver platter and handed over to us, usually in the form of photocopied sheets of old handouts. All we’d have to do is memorize whatever was on them and eventually ace the tests that usually came in multiple choice or matching type form.

But now, we’re in charge of making our own notes, deciphering cryptic explanations for a certain lesson and most of all, making our own creative output based on what we could be often inaccurate interpretations. Grade 11 gave big importance to the performance task, much to the dismay of everybody. Whether individual or by group, it was always half our grade and due way before any of us were ready to face the task at hand. It also required coming up with original ideas, or solutions to the most common problems and it’s either bland when working alone or chaotic when with classmates, because everyone wants to be heard when we’re actually fighting for metaphorical spots.

I didn’t feel it much during the first semester though, because I had the best schedule on campus. Classes ended at 2:30PM for me so I had plenty of time at my disposal. I could hang out with friends, have a chat with my mom and procrastinate (responsibly) before proceeding with my work and still be able to go to sleep before the clock struck ten. My subjects weren’t terrible as well. Yeah, not all of them were anchored in the very foundation of my track but I was able to get grades far better than I would have expected, so it’s all good. Here’s a briefer on each:

General Math

A solid 8/10, which is a big deal considering the fact that Math has never been my strong suit. First quarter covers topics I barely understood when they were discussed to me in Grades 9 and 10, namely functions (linear, quadratic, polynomial, The Problematic Trio aka rational, exponential and piecewise) and equalities and inequalities. Second quarter focuses on business math, weirdly enough when there’s an entirely different subject for that, but the lessons don’t overlap. Annuities, stocks and bonds, and loans were explained plus a little bit of logic towards the end.

The key to Math is a heck lot of practice. Practice, practice, practice. Even when you know the answers, or more preferably when there’s no key given. Answer every problem in the book on a separate sheet of paper, make up your own, explain the procedure of solving to yourself, help a friend out and refresh your memory simultaneously. Do it when you get home, or when you have a free period at school or you have no idea what else to do seeing as that’s the only way you’ll develop the skills needed to become a human calculator.

Business Math

A more practical Math subject: every single topic discussed was something that could be applied in real life and useful to us when we have careers. The first few weeks consisted of our reviewing our favorites: fractions, decimal and percentage, and ratio and proportion, so it evidently started on a good note. It later on proceeds to buying and selling, computation for salaries and wages then the presentation and analysis of business data in table and graph form.

Though the lessons here are undeniably easier than our previous Math subject, it still wouldn’t hurt to practice, especially if everything isn’t clear to you from the get go. If your teacher is anything like mine and thrives on class participation, recite as often as you can whether it’s to give a recap of yesterday’s lesson or show the solution on the board. Her personal favorites in our class were those who made it a point to raise their hands as often as possible.

Physical Science

A mix of the deadliest sciences mixed in one subject. Physics and chemistry, folks. Just as appealing as it sounds. If you like both of them, you’ll breeze past this, no sweat. But if you’re like me and you stopped paying attention in science class after the teacher was done discussing the body system, you’ll have a lot of catching up to do. Subject matter included motion, energy, chemical reactions, force and energy. Don’t be too excited that there are only five, because these took two semesters to properly shove in our craniums.

There’s no downtime in this subject, you have to hustle every single day or else you’ll fall behind while the work just keeps piling up. Read up on everything and do not leave out even a single detail: know which causes what, and why well enough to the point that you can recite it in your sleep. Memorize the formulas and most importantly, invest in a double liner calculator! It’s a bit pricey but spending the amount required is far better than having to enter multiple parentheses to work your way around an equation.  

Earth and Life Science

Personally the superior science for me, considering that the topics were genuinely interesting and made me gain a better understanding of how the world works. We studied the origin and structure of the earth and beyond, earth processes, natural hazards, bioenergetics, perpetuation of life, evolution, organ systems and interaction and interdependence.

The only downside for some is that many terms will be introduced throughout the course of this subject, and you’ll obviously be required to memorize them all and at the very least, identify their definitions. Making flash cards for each lesson would definitely come in handy, even if takes a while and could very well cramp your hand but there’s this app called Quizlet which basically serves the same purpose and is easily accessible in any device you download it on.

Oral Communication

I think I was the only one in class who actually enjoyed what was going on for the most part of Oral Com, since I enjoy talking to a crowd and writing. If the mere mention of that phrase alone gives you shivers down to your spine, I guess you’ll have a lot of mental and emotional preparation to do. Normally, this subject would heavily rely on application of learnings through exercises and presentations but there was still a bit of (unnecessary) discussion here and there on topics like public communication skills and communicative strategies.

Expect a lot of speaking in front of the classroom! Tasks will range from impromptu (no time to think beforehand), extemporaneous (short preparation time upon receiving the question) and prepared speaking. Groupwork is also high in number: the teacher will give you a situation (e.g. you’ll be selling a product, your house is on fire and you need to call the fire department, ya know… the usual [?]) and you’ll need to propose your solution in the most eloquent and spontaneous way possible. Which means no reading aloud of lines scribbled on your hand with a G-Tec.

Organization and Management

Basically an introduction to the world of business and thus an essential subject for my strand. Points discussed were the nature of management, the firm and its environment, environmental scanning (PEST and SWOT analysis) and the functions of a manager in detail (planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling).

This subject was very detail-heavy so as much as I was willing to learn, I couldn’t avoid being overwhelmed by the number of things we were trying to run through in around sixteen weeks. It also didn’t help that we didn’t have a book to refer to and had literal stacks of photocopied handouts to lug around instead. But I guess by now, your school has a textbook to provide you with and if not, there are some published by Rex Bookstore available in big branches of National Bookstore like in Quezon Avenue. The best thing to do to survive this subject is to read so you can understand all the concepts. Everything discussed is important and the quizzes and quarterly tests you’ll take will require not only what you think it means, but also how you’ll use it IRL

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Potentially one of your favorite subjects, if you’re given the right teacher, since it focuses on the intricacies of our lives as human beings. From the study of humans past and present and the complexity of our cultures (anthropology), we head on to the analysis of government systems and activity (political science) and the nitty-gritty of our development and functions in human society (sociology).

I didn’t have a problem with this step the lessons were comprehensible enough to grasp my attention but just make sure that you exert effort to understand everything! Because even though a chunk of the activities also include matching type, true or false or fill in the blanks, essays are a mainstay. Usually, they’re not based on facts too but on your own personal opinion and the teacher will be able to tell if you don’t have a particular stand or you do yet you fail to back it up with actual evidence, so be sure to find a basis for everything you say.

Unfortunately, all fun and games were over when the second semester rolled in. Our privileges were taken back and our schedule was reverted back to the usual 4:20PM. Thanks to the fact that my busmates never went straight to the bus upon dismissal and liked roaming around the campus, leaving our conductor to search for them like she was in some sort of treasure hunt, I went home at 6:00PM every day. To make matters worse, this just so happened to be the season when the research papers started rolling in, one by one, all poised and ready to kill us ever so slowly. Let me give you another quick recap:

Pagbasa at Pagsuri

Definitely not the kind of “Pagbasa” I was expecting, if I’m being frank. I thought we were going to be reading and analyzing contemporary Filipino literature, which excited me since my knowledge in that genre was close to non-existent. Turns out, we would be looking at different kinds of texts (informative, persuasive, analytical, etc) then finding out how to write them afterwards. There’s a chance you might not experience this unless we go to the same school, but our teacher invented the ADIDS method in order to help us learn this more effectively through application. I forgot what it stands for, but basically all you do is discuss each facet of a very broad topic thoroughly in the form of a well thought out class presentation.

Meanwhile, the research paper takes up one whole semester. Not to sound boastful, but I had thought that I would be able to do this with ease because all I ever do with my life is write I mean I practically came out of my mother’s womb with a pen and paper in hand and I speak more Filipino than English these days seeing as  I spend a bigger portion of my day in school. But, the finished product is often bland and makes use of the same words over and over in a failed attempt to accurately describe what I want to put on paper. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the topic also had to be narrowed down repeatedly to suit a particular audience, from a specific place within a specific time frame so we ended up doing a research on the effects of Jason Derulo’s songs on the opinions of Grade 11 students from our school in the academic year 2016-2017. Please don’t laugh at us.

You also don’t just write the entire paper, but also be briefed on its parts, their functions and determine what sets them apart from each other, and the specifications in making each of them. Which includes stuff as minuscule as the measurement of the margins, font sizes and types to use et cetera. It’s not that hard though because as you’re working on the paper, you familiarize yourself even more.

Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik

The easiest one I took the entire semester, and for obvious reasons, my favorite. Our teacher was brilliant in the sense that he was well-versed in the subject matter and got work done yet let us watch Train to Busan or Seklusyon on the TV if the schedule permitted. The topics weren’t mind-boggling either: we just covered the history of the Filipino language and communicative skills (which further cemented my belief that this was basically the counterpart of Oral Com). They may be confusing at first but the key is to notice sentence patterns! The number of activities given to us was reasonable and not particularly stress-inducing: just quizzes that were few and far-between, a groupwork and reaction paper for a performance task.

Fundamentals of Accounting

A lot of people are intimidated by the idea of studying Accounting, and I’m not surprised. It’s always described as something that relies on analysis and numbers, two things that we normally don’t excel in at school. But it’s actually nothing to fuss about as long as you do your reading, understand the basic guidelines, practice at home and have a qualified teacher who has the proper training and skill set. The first few chapters don’t even involve computation of any kind yet. You’ll just be acquainted with the very foundation of the subject: the branches of accounting, the users of accounting information, the forms of business organizations and types of businesses. Maybe the most important lessons that you could pick up are the accounting equation (assets = liabilities + equity), types of major accounts and the generally accepted principles because they serve as the rules to follow for making your accounting-related decisions.

Eventually, you’ll make it to business transactions and their analysis, where you’ll be taking a trip around the whole accounting cycle. You’ll have to fill out a journal, ledger and unadjusted trial balance then adjust that trial balance using the adjusting entries normally provided to create your income statement, balance sheet, closing entries and the end goal, the post-closing trial balance. Sounds like a lot of work, but it’s seriously not that difficult if you do your homework! It’s also best to invest in an actual journal and worksheet, instead of solving on sheets of yellow pad that can easily be misplaced.

Statistics and Probability

Stat was weird for me in the sense that our lessons were generally ambiguous unlike what their names insinuated and I seemed to understand everything while it was being discussed but the minute I got home to work on assignments, I found myself staring at a wall until a friend who actually knows what to do goes online on Messenger. Later on, I found out it was because I needed to practice on my own to be familiar with the procedure instead of trying to memorize all the steps when it depends on the type of problem. We covered random variables, probability distributions, normal distributions, sampling, estimation of parameters and hypothesis testing (which was actually quite fun).

If you’re not keeping up to speed with everyone else, please do work on it as early as possible. The lessons here are somewhat connected to each other so if you failed to catch the drift on one of them, it’ll create a chain reaction and by the last topic, you’ll have zero knowledge of how to solve anything. Ask help, preferably from your teacher because not only do they explain it most accurately but it helps them see your initiative to do better, which they take into consideration when computing for your final grade. Do not settle for the exercises found on the book. Make your own, if you’re in the mood to cramp your hand, or turn to websites like The Oxford Math Center for useful worksheets with answer keys.

Contemporary Art

The very bane of my existence. The perfect way to sum up this subject in six words. Art was never my strength, anyone who knows me is aware that I can’t draw to save my life, but it didn’t really have much of a dent on my report card since it happened to be a minor subject. But thanks to the implementation of the new curriculum, it is given a new sense of purpose as a core subject with a weight of O N E. We had dealt with the different periods of Philippine art extensively, the National Artists of the country and different contemporary art forms such as film and the oddly interesting performance art. (Trigger warning for some graphic content though, so do be careful when searching these up!)

Activities ranged from making presentations similar in format to those in Pagbasa at Pagsuri, creating manifestos for the Philippine youth in relation to their role in the art world, holding a class exhibit to display the work you’ve made and my favorite: going on a fieldwork to hunt for contemporary art in the city. All this will lead to the culminating activity: the creation of your very own output, where anything is possible and depends solely on the one calling the shots.

This art class is no longer focusing solely on the physical aspects of a certain work, but also on what it actually means and what its relevance to society actually is. So, a good tip would be to always look at the bigger picture when given something to analyze! It’s hard at first, I admit I didn’t have much to say during the first few meetings but as the floor is opened to more interpretation and intellectual discussion, you’ll get the hang of it and instinctively feel the need to join in.

** We are about to dive in a zone that is fittingly named The Deadly Trio. ** Actually, if these were stand-alone subjects, I’d be fine but the fact that there are three of them in one semester when they’re basically discussing the same things and giving the same ridiculous amount of take home work was enough to drive me up the wall.

Practical Research

As implied by the very name of this subject, the main focus would be the creation of a qualitative practical research paper throughout the entirety of the semester. Discussions here were very minimal, as the teacher thankfully wanted us to focus on getting as much work done in the classroom as possible. I slacked off moderately during her period instead of lessening what I’d have to do at home, and in the end I ultimately suffered. But anyway, topics discussed include the importance of qualitative research, finding a good topic and sources to build it up, reviewing different types of literature, understanding and collecting data and further analyzing it to later on be able to report our findings.

One another thing to look forward to (not in a good way) is the dreaded thesis defense, where your paper will be dissected and closely examined for any possible shortcomings and held against you in front of a panel. It doesn’t always have to be the bane of your existence: as long as you contributed to the making of the project, you’ll know enough that you won’t be humiliated the minute you open your mouth.

A tip to take into consideration is to choose the right groupmates. Unless teachers pre-determine who you end up working with for two straight quarters (in that case, you’ll just have to learn how to accept your fate, whether it is for better or for worse), as much as possible, go for those who are responsible and actually care about their grades. It’s never fun to work with people who send you a montage of copy-pasted statements from Wikipedia pages and pass it off as their “contribution”, go offline Messenger the minute you even think about asking for help and think that printing the paper is a valuable addition to the team.

Reading and Writing

Contrary to what I initially thought, this was not the counterpart of Pagbasa at Pagsuri in the English language and I was thankful in a way because God knows the pain that inflicted upon me. The first quarter starts off quite easy, with critical thinking, fundamental reading skills, selecting and organizing information and critical reading skills. It may sound like a mouthful, but most of these are stuff you’ve picked up long before, without the assistance of a teacher! Some people may find patterns of development a hard topic, but if you read books, I guess identifying them just comes natural to you.

The latter part of this subject is where the ugly stuff goes in. I personally felt deceived into thinking that it would be as simple as our first lessons: identifying and writing the thesis statement and topic statement then it suddenly escalates and turns into SO MUCH ACADEMIC WRITING. When I saw that we were going to be making book reports and article critiques, I shelled out some of my favorite fictional reads and Man Repeller stories of the month only to find out that we’d be reviewing serious, educational material with very specific and strict guidelines to follow to make it as formal and cohesive (and basically not fun) as possible. Research reports, project proposals and position papers will also be in the works at some point: they are very structured and usually have to revolve around topics that are related to your strand, so there is a chance you may find it boring.

English for Academic and Professional Purposes

When I saw I had this for a subject, I was actually glad at first since English has always been my forte. So I was anticipating a repeat tutorial on all parts of speech and the basics of the subject-verb agreement when in reality, all I got was a dupe of Reading and Writing. Which is why, I had no idea why we had to take up both of them during the same semester.

Besides all subjects that required the submission of a research paper as some sort of culmination, this was the most demanding in terms of written output. During the first quarter, it’s still permissible to chill as you’re only going through reading and writing different types of academic texts (does this sound familiar to any of you?) but as the next one rolls along, BOOM. Reaction paper. Reflection paper. (Yes, there is a difference.) Concept paper. ANOTHER position paper. Report.

Now, if you’re already thinking about how you’re going to make it through when your writing is as lifeless and flat as can be (e.g. It is a sunny day, I ate an apple, I need to pee), don’t sweat it. That is exactly what your EAPP teacher will be looking for anyway. Academic texts do not require flowery writing that went through EDSA traffic before getting to the point (which was obviously an inconvenience for me): nobody cares about your opinion unless they say so and even if they do, they’ll probably require a sentence limit.

 Well, that’s a wrap! I spent approximately twelve hours working on this post: one of which was spent on the Kitkat bench in Landmark trying to find a catchy way to start it off, and my eyes hurt and I may be suffering from carpal tunnel but all of that means nothing as long as I’ve been able to guide one hopeless soul out of the dark. I’ll be back with much lighter content very soon if I can factory reset my head and get it to work properly again.

 Stay in school, kids!

Angel