Medina1

Christy Medina
Professor Jessie
College 1
27 October 2015

Midterm Reflection

So far this semester has been a challenge, a serious one. I am constantly having to face
challenges in school especially when it comes to the subjects math and speech. For some people
math is a piece of cake but for me, its more like a never ending nightmare. Also for some people
speaking in public places in front of an audience is like a walk in the park but for me its a
nightmare waiting to happen. I know Im not the only person who deals with these fears and
because of that I have been able to get the help I need and the resources I need, in order to be
successful in these subjects.
When I took my first math test for math 450. Which is the lowest math here at PCC. I
wasnt confident at all with taking the test because of all the anxiety I had built up in me from the
thoughts I constantly had in my head from past tests in my math classes. So because of that, the
outcome was yet again negative. I received a score of 58% which is an F grade. I had seen this
coming, but hoped for a miracle. In my speech class I learned that in order for me to learn
something I have to get hands on and more outspoken about what I dont understand. So I used
that method in the following 3 weeks in my math class. As I finished the second exam for math, I
felt positive and less stressed than how I usually feel. The outcome of that exam was a 91%
which is an A. I couldnt have been more proud of myself. My experience in speech benefited
me in my math class.
Now speaking of speech, although it did benefit me in my math class, it was a drag. I
could not speak in front of a full class even if my life depended on it. My first speech was about
myself, like an introduction of me. Yes it sounds simple but having to speak to a bunch of
strangers for 3 whole minutes was a nightmare. I ended up talking about my interested in music

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instead of my personality. I dont know why but it was a reaction to my stage fright. As the
second speech came upon me, I made it a goal to do better than my first speech. So in order to do
that I used my class time in my college 1 class to practice. We have a lot of discussions in that
class and instead of staying quiet and sticking to myself, I started to join in the discussions about
the book we were reading. From doing that I started feeling more and more comfortable with
myself and speaking to groups of people. As I finished the second speech, I received a great
applause and a huge smile from my professor. I received and overall score of a B+.
My experiences in my other classes seemed to benefit me when dealing with problems I
had in the subjects I was doing bad in. Such as math and speech. I am now going through
speeches like a walk in the park and getting good grades on my math tests like a piece of cake.