Well, sarah, there is an "art" to math. Obviously, some are more adept than others. But that doesn't mean that you can't improve. These things might help you:
1. Practice. No one just falls put of bed and learns to play the piano. It's the same way with math....the more you practice, the better you become.
2. Learn the basics. I know this sounds simple, but when I used to tutor, it was quite surprising to find people who couldn't add, subtract, multiply or divide. (I found that people couldn't reduce fractions because they didn't know the multiplication tables!! Flash cards are a good remedy for that!!)
3. Memorizing "formulas and "problem solving steps" is OK, but you should learn the "why" of them. For instance, a lot of people know that the volume of a cylinder is pi*r^2*h. But, if you ask them WHY that's so, you usually wind up with a blank stare. If you understand the "why," you can usually derive formulas that you may have even forgotten!! .
4. Ask questions in class. This is hard to do, because nobody wants to appear "stupid." It's been my experience that if YOU don't understand something right away, about 90% of the class doesn't usually understand it, either. (They're usually to scared to ask, too!!). Ignore those who might make fun of you for asking a "silly" question - the world is filled with those people, and they're often not as "smart" as you might think. Besides, some concepts ARE difficult to understand right away!!
5. Finally..........I used to have a saying about math.......it's the kind of subject that can frustrate you if you don't "get it" right away," but then, when you finally DO see it, you wonder why you had so much trouble in the first place!! I'm sure you will find this true!!
I hope this helps you........good luck
+130555 
