The nine students who tackle BC Calculus face unique obstacles due to the scarcity of peers and resources to rely on, causing huge obstacles in their academic journey.
The high demands of BC Calculus demonstrate the intensity that this small group of students face, since they struggle with such limited peer support, few online resources, and a sudden change in teaching methods, while also balancing their other academics, their leadership commitments, the charge of applying and entering university, and finishing their school journey.
“Since there are so few of us, there’s no one’s previous experience to rely on or get help from. It’s also very hard because all of us are leaders, so we barely have time to study,” Senior Emilia Echavarria said.
Moreover, despite their leadership roles, these students confront such a challenging task of mastering advanced calculus concepts with minimal guidance, support and help due to the lack of peers to rely on and the lack of resources found on the internet. Moreover, due to the depth of the topics they’re seeing, they’ve started to question all their previous knowledge and everything they’ve learned in AB calculus.
“It’s very hard to get help from the internet; the answers or explanations to the topics we see are almost never there. Additionally, we start questioning our knowledge from what we had previously learned in AB calculus because we’re going so deep on the topics,” Senior Ambar Alvarez said.
The unexpected change in teaching methods due to the unexpected change in teacher further complicated their learning experience, making it harder for them to build upon that prior knowledge they had gathered last year. Due to this situation, a class already complicated enough, got even more complicated.
“We were supposed to see both AB and BC calculus with the same teacher so that the methods of teaching would align, and the previous information would actually help. However, we faced a change of teacher, so the teaching methods and everything are different,” Senior Paulina Moreno said.
Despite these challenges, these students seem determined in their pursuit of excellence, trying to overcome obstacles and succeed in their academics. Not only to prove to themselves that they can, but also for the great benefit it brings them when applying and entering university, giving them a profile of academic excellence and if they took the exam and passed it, they can even save time and money not taking that class in university.
“We usually have one test per week. It’s a rigorous pace, but we’re determined to push through and excel in BC Calculus as its a great advantage for university admissions,” Echavarria said.
Their flexibility in the face of hard times shows their commitment to academic excellence and their determination to succeed even though the odds seem to be against them.
“We may be a small group facing numerous challenges, but we’re not giving up. We’re determined to conquer BC Calculus and pursue our dreams,” Moreno said.
Despite the lack of resources and the absence of peer support, these students continue ahead, driven by their passion for mathematics and their determined dedication to their goals.
“We may be few in number, but our determination knows no bounds. Together, we will navigate the challenges of BC Calculus and emerge victorious, ready to tackle whatever obstacles lie ahead in our academic journey,” Alvarez said.
