AP Calculus AB & AP Physics C Help

littlelotte485
Sun, 16 Oct 2016 23:17:06 +0000

Hi everyone!

I’m taking AP Calculus AB and AP Physics C: Mechanics, and I have a teacher that is not good. I know a lot of people flippantly say that, but I’m serious. I really, really need some advice and some help because I am at my wit’s end with him.

Let me tell you about the situation/background. This teacher has 2 PhD’s: one in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and believes he is a good Calc & Physics teacher (despite the fact he failed it in HS, took in CC and failed, and took in again as an undergraduate and passed with a C+). I can’t tell if it’s because I’m overthinking the issue, or just not understanding the concept, but I am floundering in his class. When he teaches, he looks at the textbook for 5 minutes, chooses an example problem from the text and writes it out on the board. When he tries to explain what’s happening, he speaks so fast, and writes so quickly I can’t grasp what is happening. This happens in both Calc and Physics. My calc class has 18 people, physics has 13, and no one stops him and asks what is going on, because all he does it parrots back what he just said, or tells us to read the book. Also, he gets frustrated when he has to explain the same HW problem to 5 different people, and tends to explain the mathematics in a super cryptic manner. I understand the idea of making the students work to grasp the material, but I don’t think this is how it’s supposed to be.

When my teacher came in February of last year, he taught us Limits, Derivatives and an introduction to the Integral, all in less than 3 months (and we were in Pre-Calc at the time). Because of this, I knew a little bit when we started this year. We finished studying Limits, and now are working on the derivatives of exponential/logarithmic functions, along with trigonometric & hyperbolic derivatives. And in Physics, we covered all of projectile motion in one day. Actually, I should probably say that I never took conceptual physics (our HS curriculum plan stipulates that students who are taking AP Calculus must take AP Physics, whether or not they have taken conceptual or not), and it is probably the reason why I’m struggling so hard. When my teacher covered all of projectile motion, I took notes, but didn’t understand a word, so that night, I took the textbook home, and worked on it for 4 1/2 hours, reading and re-reading, and taking 4 pages worth of notes that actually made sense to me. While I feel kind of proud of myself, I know that that is just not something I can make a habit of for every topic I’m having problems with.

We have tests coming up in both these classes next week, and I honestly have no idea what is going to happen. I am studying so hard, and doing all the HW, but I’m just not getting it without looking at a solutions manual. I’ve done everything possible on my end: talking to my teacher, going in SH and after school for tutoring, getting outside help (from an aerospace engineer, surprisingly), reading the textbook ahead of time, taking notes before class, working on HW as soon as possible, and it’s not working, not without a lot of frustration. I’ve even gone to our dean, and asked him to let me transfer into the conceptual physics class (this year our HS changed the curriculum plan and said all Juniors have to take conceptual physics, then they can choose to take AP Physics senior year), and he flatly refused. All the students in my physics class have tried to transfer out, and he refuses to do so, because then classes would have to be rearranged, and it would change the student:teacher ratio in classes. So since I’m stuck where I am, I’m really trying to find something that will ease the problems I’m having. Every time I try and do my HW, I end up in tears (as childish and stupid as that sounds) and I just get frustrated at myself and the teacher because I’m spending 6+ on HW in these classes alone. I just really cannot be spending that much time on HW, and be able to do all my other HW (I’m taking AP Lit & Comp. + 4 other Pre-AP classes), get a good night’s sleep (I average 5-7hrs a night), prepare for SAT/ACT, finish college/scholarship apps, work, and be involved in my extracurriculars. I probably sound like a whiny, spoiled little brat, and I apologize, but I’m really frustrated. These classes are taking a severe toll on my physical and mental health, and I really need someone to tell me what to do next, because I’ve done everything I know of and it’s not working.