I Forgot Everything Over the Summer

This is the sentence I hear every year from my students in September. Summer is great for relaxation, but it comes with the price. It is only natural to forget math (and other subjects), I even started teaching my students a Forgetting Curve when we learn about exponential functions.

But usually it is not a big deal, as every class starts from a review. However, there is one class that is not as forgiving. I am talking about Calculus. When I teach it, I give students a summer review packet. When my daughter took it (from another teacher, of course), she had a summer review packet and a test on the first day back.

Here is what happens to those students who dismiss this review: they start behind. Yes, it is only day 1 of school year and they are already behind. Maybe they had a test and failed it, maybe their teacher jumped into calculus and they are iffy on algebra concepts... and then, two weeks into the year, a student like that drops their Calculus class. I've seen so many kids dropping out of my BC class to move to AB, or switching from AB to a non-AP "Fundamentals of Calculus" class. And it is not that they are not smart enough, it's just the shaky or forgotten foundation.

And here is a smart move: review before school. Get ready, so you are ahead on that first day of school. Recall your algebra, trig, logs and functions. Check your notes from last year, solve problems with free online platforms or work with a tutor. Speaking of tutors, I offer a specialized Intensive to prepare for Calculus class in Fall. We only focus on the concepts that you will need in Calculus: unit circle - yes! Law of cosines - not needed.

Register for the 4 Days to Calculus Intensive here so you can start the year ahead, not behind!