How can i make my chemistryteacher think im smart

[kirk101]

wondering any ideas (= thanks?

 

[mgb_phys]

Explosions are always a good way to catch their eye.
My best one was probably knocking over a bottle of Bromine causing the evacuation of the building.

 

[chemisttree]

wondering any ideas (= thanks?

Uhhh.... You might speak in complete sentences? Most teachers have been around long enough to pick up on tricks and techniques a student uses to ingratiate themselves. I was always impressed with the students that followed directions, showed up on time, wrote legibly (in complete sentences), used proper grammar and punctuation in reports and never missed any questions. They were the ones the other students gravitated toward when they needed help.

 

[Borek]

As Sacha Guitry said - You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty

It has nothing to do with chemistry.

 

[Barfolumu]

Uhhh.... You might speak in complete sentences? Most teachers have been around long enough to pick up on tricks and techniques a student uses to ingratiate themselves. I was always impressed with the students that followed directions, showed up on time, wrote legibly (in complete sentences), used proper grammar and punctuation in reports and never missed any questions. They were the ones the other students gravitated toward when they needed help.

I second this route.

Though I also ask questions on class whenever I do not understand something: They are their to teach you after all. It is much more important to understand the material than to look smart.

 

[JGK]

You could also try the old fashioned way, do the reading , do the work and ask pertinent questions in class.

Trying to impress without the means to back it up may work at school but once out of academia most people (especially those in the science community) see right through it.

I have actually avoided employment in some companies where i know people like this are employed.

 

[ytoruno]

in high school i onced turned the knob on the bunsen burner too loose. It broke off and a huge flame shot up. In my hurry to move back from the flame, i accidently knocked over the bunsen burner and lit the table on fire. So then i quickly turn off the gas and my teacher turns off the table flames with an extinguisher. Ever since then, he wanted to keep a close eye on me. Every one in the class thought i was a total badass who did it on purpose, thus making a great start to a sophmore year in high school.

 

[mathwonk]

how can i make people think im a nice person?

how can i make strangers think im good looking?

.....

but seriously now, every semester i hand out a syllabus complete with advice on how to do well.

it includes basic suggestions like: ask questions, do the reading, come to office hours,....

and yet only a few people seem to do these things. thus anyone who does, naturally sticks out like an,....gosh an intelligent person!

I reproduce it for you below:

 

[mathwonk]

basic advice to students

EXPECTATIONS AND ADVICE:

1) LEARN ALL THE BASIC INFORMATION.
This means studying the book and the lectures until you know and understand all the definitions, theorems, formulas and procedures. This involves both memorizing and understanding. Thus you should be able to rattle off from memory the definition of a limit, derivative, continuous function, equation for a tangent line, etc... with perfect accuracy. You should also be able to explain clearly what each of these things means.

2) DEVELOP COMPUTATIONAL POWER.
This means learning to solve specific problems and to make detailed and accurate calculations. This can only be acquired by working large numbers of problems, not just the few that are to be handed in. You should spend as much time as you need to learn to work correctly as many problems in the book as possible. Study the worked out examples, and get any troublesome points explained well before the test on that topic.

3) PRACTICE LOGICAL REASONING.
One of the main benefits of a mathematics course is in learning to make logical arguments. (This can actually help you in arguing with a judge, or the IRS, or your boss, for example.) This means knowing why the procedures you have memorized actually work, and understanding the ideas well enough to be able to adapt them to solve problems which we may not have explicitly treated in the lectures. It also means being able to make a clear statement and to prove it.

I will test you on your understanding of each topic, not just your ability to repeat computations exactly like ones worked on the board. You must be able to state general principles correctly, apply them to old and new situations, and write up your solutions in understandable, correct form, using words in complete sentences. It is important to keep up, and to study for the final, since past experience shows people who did not do well earlier, or who do not restudy for the final, do not do well on the final.

Ask lots of questions. I am glad to review anything at all from a previous course, but I can only do this if you ask me.

 

[MarsVolta]

Wear glasses and a bow-tie .

 

[Asphodel]

how can i make people think im a nice person?

how can i make strangers think im good looking?

Be rich, apparently.

 

[rootX]

Be rich, apparently.

or ....

http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/flattery.jpg [Broken]

 

[kirk101]

thanks lol these are all pretty good ideas unfortunitly i failed the class im making a 59 and there is like a week and a half left of school )=

 

[symbolipoint]

thanks lol these are all pretty good ideas unfortunitly i failed the class im making a 59 and there is like a week and a half left of school )=

Your important goal now is NOT to make your teacher think you are smart; you now must determine why you failed. When you know this, you can then spend the summer time studying what and how you need , so that you can retake the course again in September, and perform well on almost or all of everything.

Why did you fail this term?
Inadequate prerequisite skills or concepts?
Too many courses?
Not enough studying, poor study scheduleing, poor study methods?

Also, do not let having prerequisite coursework credit fool you into thinking that you really have the prerequisite skills and knowledge; if you forget any or are weak in some, then that is part of your trouble.

 

[Johannes]

Or maybe science is not right for you, your attitude will make you a good social sciences student, though :)

 

[kirk101]

Your important goal now is NOT to make your teacher think you are smart; you now must determine why you failed. When you know this, you can then spend the summer time studying what and how you need , so that you can retake the course again in September, and perform well on almost or all of everything.

Why did you fail this term?
Inadequate prerequisite skills or concepts?
Too many courses?
Not enough studying, poor study scheduleing, poor study methods?

Also, do not let having prerequisite coursework credit fool you into thinking that you really have the prerequisite skills and knowledge; if you forget any or are weak in some, then that is part of your trouble.

i faild this class cause for some reason i really dont understand like Al3+br4 and stuff like that all these formulas and stuff

 

[bravernix]

i faild this class cause for some reason i really dont understand like Al3+br4 and stuff like that all these formulas and stuff

Did you study at all?

 

[Fearless]

Did you study at all?

Don't be so hard on the little padawan, he is taking his first steps to being a scientist, or maybe not.

But kirk101: Not all of us were whizkids at the very beginnings of our career in science education. I was rather bad at maths in secondary school, and rather bad at physics in high school. But, I managed to overcome these limitations, grind my teeth and set my mind to it.

I believe you can too, but you have to give it some effort, not just slacking off playing video/computergames, being with the girl all the time and hanging out with friends every weekend, every evening.

I hope it goes well for you and that you find out if you really want to do science or not.

 

[kirk101]

ya well im wanting to major in business but i need to know chemistry i studied alittle but see i have a hard time with math and some science's but like everytime the teacher would try to teach us i would be like ...... huh so i just got agervated not knowing the problems but ya i do spend more time hanging out with friends and doing other things then studying. its just to be stuck at home reading a text book is really hard for me to do

 

[Vanadium 50]

Did you study at all?

Don't be so hard on the little padawan

i studied alittle

I guess now it's time to be so hard on the little padawan.

Kirk101, to answer your question, if you want people thinking you're smart, one thing you need to do is to start writing proper English. A writing style that screams "doofus!" will not help.

Furthermore, you need to study. In earnest - not just "a little". Of course, we would all rather be hanging out with our friends. But you can't expect to reap the same benefits as people who studied without studying yourself. Finally, as an aside, the students who study tend to better understand what the instructor is saying.

 

[bravernix]

ya well im wanting to major in business...its just to be stuck at home reading a text book is really hard for me to do

From what I know of my friends who are business majors, you have chosen the perfect major! However, you still need to pass gened classes. You seemed earlier to be confused as to why you did not understand extremely basic chemistry concepts. Generally, people are not born with this knowledge, so you might have to put forth some amount of effort before you get to party 24/7.

 

[The|M|onster]

ya well im wanting to major in business but i need to know chemistry i studied alittle but see i have a hard time with math and some science's but like everytime the teacher would try to teach us i would be like ...... huh so i just got agervated not knowing the problems but ya i do spend more time hanging out with friends and doing other things then studying. its just to be stuck at home reading a text book is really hard for me to do

Like maybe you should like you know consider a tutor or like a study group to like help you like grasp the concepts, you know?

 

[Asphodel]

Like maybe you should like you know consider a tutor or like a study group to like help you like grasp the concepts, you know?

Attack of the Valley Girls :yuck:

 

[Diffy]

ya well im wanting to major in business but i need to know chemistry i studied alittle but see i have a hard time with math and some science's but like everytime the teacher would try to teach us i would be like ...... huh so i just got agervated not knowing the problems but ya i do spend more time hanging out with friends and doing other things then studying. its just to be stuck at home reading a text book is really hard for me to do

I got news for you, if you are going to get into business then you are going to come across problems all the time that you don't know the solution to.

Example: Why are our key business metrics trending down?
Example: Why are the people I manage not producing?
Example: Why did we have a sudden spike in business from Europe?

Imagine these problems come up when you are working for a company? Will you react the same way you are now, get aggravated and just hang out with your friends? If so, I'd fire you.

From math, you will learn above all else problem solving skills. You will never be asked to solve for x in the work place; You will never be asked to reduce to simplest form in the work place; You will never be asked to balance molecules on both sides in the work place. How ever those skills help develop how good a problem solver you are. Business men and women need to be excellent problem solvers to be successful.

If you are serious about business you need to get serious about your math and sciences as they are directly proportional to how good you will be in the business world.

I am sorry if I come across as harsh, but it will be MUCH harsher on when you learn this in the real world. You can take or leave my advice, cheers.