I think it's important to acknowledge that I have failed and struggled often. I hope that by talking about my stories I normalize struggle for more students.
I once got a 23% on a physics exam. All my friends did really well on the exam and I had to awkwardly agree when they claimed the exam was "so easy". I struggled with physics. I could understand the content but I had trouble applying it to problems. Often times I would be close to the solution but the test was structured in a way that didn't give partial credit. I ended up barely passing the course and never doing physics again. Looking back I wish I had gone to office hours and talked to the professor. I don't think the way I was studying was helpful for that type of content.
My senior year of undergrad I became incredibly burnt out. I wasn't prioritizing my health but instead just focusing on school. I ended up having to take a whole week off of classes in the middle of the semester to recover my mental health. I really appreciate the support and understanding my professors were able to offer. I ended up passing all my classes and finding a better work-life balance for myself.
I had a hard time with the programming language course I took as a senior in undergrad. I would read the project specifications and be incredibly lost. I would understand the english words but I had no idea how to start translating it to code. I went to office hours but I didn't know what questions to ask. I ended up barely passing the course. This experience has given me a lot of empathy towards students who face the same type of struggle in the courses I teach. I always welcome the "I have no idea where to start or what to ask" question in my office hours.
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