getting physical??

        I'm taking AP Physics C this year and let's just say I'm having a rough time with it. Most days for the homework I just stare at the problem for at least half an hour and then I give in and ask people for help. My two main physicists are D and my dad. I feel like my physics-related neuron synapse is faulty or something. I thought I would like it and be good at it because I loved Calculus and Chemistry. Everyone else seems to get everything faster than I can, and the guy who sits next to me finishes his homework in two minutes.
        I got the multiple choice portion of my first test back today. It was a 26/35, with the class average being a 27. I didn't even reach my goal of a high C. I think I did better on the free response, but still. Maybe this is cocky of me to say, but I honestly think that this is the first time that I have had legitimate difficulty with a subject. Formerly, for my toughest classes, if I just do the homework and read the book I'm good to go. I'm definitely not used to being below average and I'm not used to not understanding things after hard work.
           Still though, there is some good that comes out of this frustration. I've found an academic limit, but that just means I need to work at it a little bit more than other people and then that limit will be pushed until it doesn't exist anymore. If I apply myself, I will be fine if I get a B. Since homework and test points are not weighted I can do poorly on tests but still get a decent grade in the class. We'll see how this goes, maybe it will just take some time to get the hang of it. Also, good thing when I took physics honors over the summer it was deceptively easy and we skipped all of the remotely difficult topics... Anyway, I'm also glad because I finally know what it feels like to really not understand something. It's one more item to add to my empathy bank! I always knew that people had trouble with things, heck I'm a TA for a C-level math class. It's something entirely different to be there though, to experience that despair and frustration. I'm actually really lucky that I have the motivation to keep going and not totally giving up.
-T.