Math help please

Pre algebra is a good time to switch,  but it won’t fix all of your problems.

We use Math U See for high school,  and the company provides a lot of support.  They have online classes,  which we haven’t used, and you can email them for questions.

The amount of support needed depends on the child.  My oldest son would rewatch lessons and back up as needed.  My second son used Purplemath.com and ended up finishing with just Purplemath.com. He has mild dyslexia.  For geometry we supplemented with Patty Paper Geometry, and he finished with that.  All of my kids use MUS Stewardship Math.

My dd13 is about to start MUS pre algebra.   We are using Hands on Equations this summer to prepare her, and between pre algebra and algebra (next summer) we will use An Introduction to Algebra  from creationtoday.org

In my opinion for a struggling math student,  some sort of support is needed,  whether through a website like Purplemath.com, email support from MUS,  or a class or tutor.   Even having Dad or a family friend explain things in a different way when needed helps.

I doubt any program is going to be able to be used independently all of the time with a struggling math student successfully.

Makes sense to me:)  My oldest son switched to MUS from a spiral program,  and the mastery approach helped him immensely.

We’ve used Math U See for most of our 14 years of homeschooling.

There really is no perfect math program-especially for those of us who are less math savvy than others. My kids need lots of help. I need lots of help. We watch the MUS dvd’s, then try our hands at working out the concept. If we still need help we google the concept and watch various videos until we understand. When we come across something we’ve forgotten how to do, we google it as well to refresh our memories. I sit down every day and do math with my rising 10th grader. It’s the only way I know how to keep up with her so that I can help when needed. We are both learning together as I’ve forgotten so much of it.

Math is hard for us. It just is. However, with MUS (and the help of google!) we are actually learning and understanding higher level math and I am pleased with our progress.

I am often temped to outsource math but I worry that an online class might push my daughter too much and frustrate her. Whereas with MUS, I can allow her to learn at her own pace and take things one step at a time. I’ve also thought of switching to Saxon with the teacher CD ROMS or Teaching Textbooks or an online program. However the first two take so much time and would only cause my daughter to dislike math immensely. The last option gives me pause because I am leery of students doing all of their work on the computer and I don’t want to have to do a lot of printing either.

In the end, I know that MUS is the right choice for us because we are learning with true understanding and that is the real goal after all.

We are not that far along, my oldest just finished 5th grade and Epsilon MUS (fractions), but the more I talk to people the more I see that switching math curriculum is tough. Every curriculum has such a different scope and sequence. I think switching at Pre Algebra level could work because it is almost like a whole new math, past the basic concepts of math. I really like MUS, the videos are so good and if at any time we need a refresher I can pull up that lesson on the DVD.

I just heard Steve Demme talk at our home school conference and he was so encouraging. He said “Stop saying your child is behind in math. Behind who? They are not behind they are right where they are at and start working with them where they are.” Since MUS is mastery it is very strong on mastering before moving on, and hearing Steve Demme talk, it really makes sense to me now (hearing him explain how he taught students that he was tutoring). Sometimes that makes it feel “slow” but I am amazed at how my kids are remembering. Sometimes it takes some reminders, but once they get going it comes back to them.

I watch the videos with the kids so I can stay consistent in helping them, when they need it, but I am glad that I watch the DVD’s. I am learning so much and math is making so much more sense to me now.

I hope you can find a program that will work for you and your student. It can be so hard to pick especially when it comes to math.

I want to say yes, but I would check with MUS to be sure.