Math Is Hard - Part 3

Math Is Hard
Part 3

This is part 3 of a three part series.  Please read PART 1 first.

There is so much more I could write here, but to be honest trying to write any more on this blog post is just way to difficult.  It takes more than I can give at this point of myself.  I actually am trying to finish this almost a month later because it got too difficult.

The point I really want to make is that often when kids struggle in school, there are emotional reasons that many adults fail to focus on for the child.  They look at surface things and try things that do not go to the root of the problem.  I have read in various places that kids who were abused or traumatized often struggle in school.  Either they struggle to comprehend or become a perfectionist and chastise themselves for getting anything less than a perfect score. 

Trauma and abuse alter the brain.  When a child goes through events that cannot be comprehended, often the only choice the biological mind has, is to freeze in place or alter how it perceives the world around it.  Simple and normal development is arrested and while the body may continue to grow as the child gets older, the brain may still be frozen in a time of hidden secrets and horrors. 


I still struggle to this day with various aspects that people would consider to be normal.  In my case, I went through paralysis and had to reconnect my memory and life back together.  Math is not an easy subject and I don't know if it will ever be for me.  Fortunately, there are many electronic devices that can help alleviate some of these things I struggle through in life.

The only thing I can leave with everyone is that if a kid is struggling in school; don't just look at surface issues.  Look below the surface and dig deep into what other factors may be taking place.  If someone would have questioned things a little more and had the courage to ask the right questions, my life could have been different.  Yet, back in those days, the subject of child sexual abuse in boys never came up. 

Most likely there are many reasons why math is hard for people and just because it is difficult, I would not want to claim that child abuse is the only reason.  I believe you have to take into account all other factors and in my case, there were plenty.  From other kids picking on me to wanting to be alone and not making friends, there were plenty of signs.  Again though, no adult really cared enough to get to know me and to me, they were just doing a job as a teacher, rather than being human.  Not all teachers are this way and I have a couple of good friends that are teachers and they truly care.  In my case though, I got lost in the system.  Somehow, even with all I went through, I survived, but it was not easy.

If you want to read more about some of my experiences, I have written a great deal on this blog and in my book, Hope And Possibility Through Trauma.  My book can be downloaded for the Kindle or purchased on Amazon.

Related Blog Posts:
1)  Math Is Hard - Part 1 (Posted 1/7/12)
2)  Math is Hard - Part 2  (Posted 1/8/12)
3)  Math is Hard - Part 3  (Posted 1/9/12)

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