I am bad at maths, however I’m finding out that I may have dyscalculia which paints my whole secondary school experience differently.

Anyway the thing I found hard about maths was algebra and trigonometry. Once someone explained it and went through it with me I was more likely to understand.

I used to be in the middle set for maths in school and that was good for me. I was challenged and the teacher went at a pace that worked for my brain.

Unfortunately I started doing well in that class so they moved me up to the second set. It was like I was a beginner in French and they’d already learnt all the basics. Or it was like, I was new dancer and they’d already learnt the choreography. It wasn’t my teacher’s fault either, there were thirty students and he didn’t have time to help me catch up… *sigh* so I struggled the hardest those last two years of secondary school. Ironically the most important years.

However I was good at physics. I didn’t think that was weird until I told someone years later and they were like, “Oh so you’re good at maths.” I looked at them weird, “No, I’m good at physics.” And they said “But physics is maths.”

I was shook and convinced they were lying but no, they weren’t. Physics really does have a lot of maths, you can’t have physics without maths. But I never struggled with secondary school physics and I didn’t hate the maths we encountered.

I found it easy to memorise the equations and as long as I memorised them then I was fine.

It’s like, I take pictures with my mind and I can go back to that picture when I’m stuck and remember, ah that’s how it works!

It’s the same with Chinese. I find tones difficult but when it comes to characters if I can memorise them well and have a solid picture in my mind of the character I don’t forget it. So, I find it easier to read Chinese than to speak or to listen to it.

Is there a point to this post? No. I’m merely curious and asking questions. Why does my brain work like this? How is it I am able to be good at physics and suck at maths all because I can memorise images?

Is it the same concept behind how I forget names but remember faces?

It’s strange and I want to know how it works.

I guess I need a neuro biologist.