Did you take trigonometry? Remember those identities you had to prove?
Something like this…
Something like this…
If you just cringed, I understand. You’re one of the 9 out of 10 people that, uh, “intensely disliked” trigonometry in high school to put it nicely. Good news! You don’t have to solve it to get the point here. Now this will be hard to believe but seriously, there’s a life lesson here.
Start with the end in mind.
You see, with these identity problems you could go around in circles (no pun intended) and not even prove the left side equals the right side. But here’s how I have my students set up the proof:
You see, with these identity problems you could go around in circles (no pun intended) and not even prove the left side equals the right side. But here’s how I have my students set up the proof:
Start with the end in mind. Then you can literally visualize where the baby steps – to get to the end – will go. Now you just have to fill in the blanks. I know, easier said than done.
And if we can take this a step further, I encourage my students to work backward a step or two from the end – as far as you can go. Then work forward a step or two from the beginning – as far as you can go.
Then find a way to meet in the middle.
Whether you are
And of course work forward from the beginning. Here I am at the beginning. What do I do now? Maybe it is committing to doing 20 minutes of homework every night, or making 20 sales calls a day.
Then find a way to meet in the middle.
I can hear the question now: When am I ever going to use trig, Mr. Anderson?
Well, whenever you start learning life lessons from it, that’s when.
Mark B. Anderson, founder & CEO of Strength in Numbers, Inc. is a former and current math teacher and tutor. Sandwiched by these two “tours of duty” in the classroom were nine years working in both small business and corporate finance. Strength in Numbers Tutoring specializes in making complicated high school math understandable to students of all academic levels.
Strength in Numbers, Inc. is the leading provider in supplementary educational services and products, including one-on-one tutoring, workshops for students and teachers, as well as print and online learning materials, currently specializing in high school math curricula and real-world personal finance.ersonal finance training.
And if we can take this a step further, I encourage my students to work backward a step or two from the end – as far as you can go. Then work forward a step or two from the beginning – as far as you can go.
Then find a way to meet in the middle.
Whether you are
- a student trying to get a certain grade, or
- a parent trying to start a business (or trying to get your student to get a certain grade!), or
- a professional tackling a new project (1)
And of course work forward from the beginning. Here I am at the beginning. What do I do now? Maybe it is committing to doing 20 minutes of homework every night, or making 20 sales calls a day.
Then find a way to meet in the middle.
I can hear the question now: When am I ever going to use trig, Mr. Anderson?
Well, whenever you start learning life lessons from it, that’s when.
Mark B. Anderson, founder & CEO of Strength in Numbers, Inc. is a former and current math teacher and tutor. Sandwiched by these two “tours of duty” in the classroom were nine years working in both small business and corporate finance. Strength in Numbers Tutoring specializes in making complicated high school math understandable to students of all academic levels.
Strength in Numbers, Inc. is the leading provider in supplementary educational services and products, including one-on-one tutoring, workshops for students and teachers, as well as print and online learning materials, currently specializing in high school math curricula and real-world personal finance.ersonal finance training.
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