tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post3342560070424868430..comments2024-03-13T21:26:03.011-07:00Comments on Right on the Left Coast: Views From a Conservative Teacher: Curse of ConfidenceDarrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-71568083470123171322014-11-04T10:16:38.497-08:002014-11-04T10:16:38.497-08:00I admit that I've done better than I expected ...I admit that I've done better than I expected on some tests--the 2nd one in this course, for example, on which I scored 94%! But I attribute that to serendipity :)Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10348701.post-44635758766199083202014-11-04T09:30:07.674-08:002014-11-04T09:30:07.674-08:00Now admit it. There have been tests you thought yo...Now admit it. There have been tests you thought you didn't do well on but were pleasantly surprised.<br /><br />I remember a test in Real Analysis. After the exam was over, and we were leaving the room, two other students and I started talking about a proof that was on it; the problem was worth a good portion of the points. So many years have gone by that I have forgotten what it was we were supposed to prove, but I still recall the stress I felt over probably bombing that test.<br /><br />Anyhow, I had agonized over this proof, and it ended up taking up nearly the whole page and a lot of time. The other two smugly informed me that a good piece of that work could have been avoided if I had started by using some such related theorem. It turned out, though, that they had made some assumptions they should not have, and by starting from scratch I had avoided their error. I ended up actually getting an A on that test. But I spent the weekend studying hard and trying to figure out how I could redeem my grade in the class. <br /><br />I tried the confidence thing once, with embarrassing results. I had sat through a physics class most of the semester without ever volunteering an answer to the professor's questions. However, I had been quietly answering them to myself the whole time and had done well enough that I finally worked up the nerve to pipe up. Of course when I did blat an answer out, I was dead wrong! PeggyUnoreply@blogger.com