I hated Math 5

I hated Math 5.

I really hated Math 5.

No, seriously, I really really hated Math 5.

But see, for things that make you tougher and better as a student, more so as a scholar of the government and as a student that is paid to study HARD, those things that challenge your very being to exert more than what you can and excel more on the things you’re bad at – things that push you to the limit, no matter how hate-able it can be – are the things that you’ll eventually love. Things like this, though you hate now, can propel you to breeze through other things that could have been tougher if not for the former.

Even we, INATRMED students, who are actually supposed to have a course centered on biological and medical sciences, still have three math subjects: Math 17, Math 100 and Math 101. Math 17 is the basic math while Math 101 is statistics.

And guess what, Math 100 is calculus.

I know, right? Why the hell are we studying calculus for? Do we seriously have to integrate just so we can measure the pimple of our patients? Or wait, do we have to make a graph and check its continuity just so we’d have quantitative values regarding its location on our patient’s butt?

Oh yeah, I doubted its significance. But see, the world would not fail to prove you wrong many times. We use math in Nephrology, not exactly sure kung calculus talaga pero related ata, in computing for concentration gradients, etc. See, even medicine needs math.

This brings me to my stand (this is the part of an article where the writer would actually just state its stand because he can’t find any other creative way to tell it.): Math 5 should remain as a REQUIRED subject for Pisay seniors.

Why?

One: It is undoubtedly useful. It prepares the Pisay scholars for their math subjects in college, making the scholars have a good foundation for the basic concepts.

Two: If it is removed solely because it is TOO ADVANCED for high school students, then why the hell would Pisay remain to be called the premier high school of the country? If they think something as basic as math 5 is too hard for us, then why still call us gifted? If the main reason for removing it is that it’s too advanced, thus too hard, for us, how would we be different then to the other high schools? Ganito ba kaliit ang tingin ng BOT sa kakayahan ng isang Pisay scholar?

I know it could be that they are just concerned, but the mere fact that many have survived Math 5 means that it is not beyond our capacity.

Come on, those people who got a 5.0 in Math 5 failed not because it was too hard. They failed because of external factors – whether intentional or unintentional, whether it’s their fault or not. For crying out loud, it’s just stupid – PLAIN stupid – to remove a subject just because some fail in meeting its requirements.

And I feel offended that the Math Department is even pushed to comparing our curriculum with the other science high schools. Aren’t we even supposed to have a harder curriculum compared to the other high schools of the country solely because we bear the title of being the premier high school of the country? Wouldn’t it be just right to give justice to that title by actually making sure that we are not just high school graduates after we leave Pisay, but exceptional high school graduates? I’m sure that’s what the country would want. After all, we spend tax payer’s money for our education so why not be the best as a form of respect for being scholars?

It’s just irritating that things like this, when looked upon in the wrong paradigm, can lead to actions that can actually decrease the standard of excellence that our beloved Pisay has. We should not let that be. If there’s something to fight for, judging by what I witness with quesci’s standards, excellence is something we, alumni, should protect.