Unexpected Problem!

Calm down. This is not a story about The Hobbit movie, although this title looks like it. I will tell you about a situation that frequently occurs with me. I think that will be interesting talking about it and probably happened to you either.

I read some books that were in my reading list in these pandemic moments. One of these books is about understanding math problems and write solutions correctly. The first book’s chapter presents a little interesting question about encrypted messages using Cesar cipher (mixing words to hide the message). And I thought: “This is a good problem! I can use this problem in my programming class. My students can solve this when this gets programming knowledge enough.”

I was happy because it was an excellent programming problem for my exercise list. However, I needed to know the programming topics my students needed to know to solve this problem. In other words, demanded to implement the solution first!

I started to implement my solution quickly, but I had a setback. My mind just crashed in a specific part of the code…the solution doesn’t get out of there. So, I realize this hit reason. It’s because I worried about other assignments (like send a critical e-mail, article deadlines, and the others.). Then I decide to solve these tasks first. While I solved my daily assignments, something was hitting in my head:

• “You need to solve that problem!”
• “When you finish this assignment, you’ll finish that code!”

Finally, I have finished my daily assignments, and I was free to end that code! But at this time, I wasn’t worried about anything besides finish that code. And I finally complete the solution! So, when I tested the code, it works correctly!

At this point, you may already be thinking: “Ok, it’s happens to me every time! what is the moral of this story then?”

Yeah, this text doesn’t have any subliminal message or something like that. But I think interesting analyze some points that we can extract from that:

Be curious! Explore!

It is normal and natural that in our professional life, we focus only on our work’s contents. However, this could make us closed to new knowledge, closed to new connections with other areas. I was able to extract a good exercise by reading the book. It’s ok. I know that math and computing are basically father and son, but this book doesn’t talk about from programming. It is pure math. I found many programming problems in areas out of computing, such as biology, economy, chemistry, etc. It shows the importance of reading and research in other areas sometimes. By reading the contents of different areas, we can see new connections before we can’t. Be curious!

Do not worry! You’ll solve the problem

There is no point in continuing to heat up when the solution does not come out immediately. Stop, relax a little, and analyze what made make your mind crashed. If it is just tiredness, then take a break and then return to exercise.

In my case, I worried about other assignments, but it could be anything else. Your performance will return when you remove what hindered. Do not worry! You will solve the problem.

Don’t give up, be persistent!

It would be a lot easier if I just gave up on creating that code. After all, no one would know. But there is a little problem there: I would know! As I said before, it was bothered by not being able to solve that.

I kept hammering my head! The only way to stop was to finish resolving that issue. Once I finished solving… my friends, the feeling afterward is excellent! It is basically a victory feeling. And most important of all: I learned a lot by solving this question. So don’t give up, be persistent!

As a professor, I try my best to make sure that my students can have this same experience when solving the exercises. I don’t want them to see the exercises as a “duty” to pass the discipline, but as a challenge to improve themselves.

For this, several pedagogical techniques can be used. I really like to create questions according to the interest of the class. So they can have greater empathy with the content taught.

Well, I hope these reflections can help you if you are in a similar situation.

Thanks for reading!