Ting Tang
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Posts posted by Ting Tang
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2 hours ago, KSera said:
I hope so as well. My parents are fully vaxed and boostered, but I’m still very concerned about their outcomes if they were to get it. They are in their 80s and both would qualify as overweight. Without Covid though, neither has anything going on that would lead us to expect they don’t have many active years left to live. I feel like a lot of Covid deniers write off anyone in their 80s as “going to die soon anyway” which is unfair and definitely not pro life.
My husband's family just lost a distant relative to Covid-19. He was fully-vaccinated, but he also had co-morbidities. Our local hospitals I've read are getting overwhelmed, and still people think it is a joke. I am very worried if we need the hospital for another reason, that won't be an option for us. And my mother-in-law has whipple surgery pushed back from 1/3 to 1/7 for her pancreatic cancer. You cannot reach through to certain people. They believe everyone is lying, and they wonder how we can have assurance this vaccine won't harm us later on. I mean, I don't really truly know if it will have an effect on us later on. So my husband and I are at odds over potentially vaccinating our children. I really want to, but I admit I am scared and don't want to make a mistake that will haunt us later on. We're both vaxxed, and I got boosted (he doesn't meet the timeline criteria). I make the kids wear kf94 masks and filtered masks the rare times they are able to go indoors someplace. It's just getting really old. I am not ready to give up on life, but I expect an uptick in deaths from despair. This is just a really hard, depressing way to live. And I think some have chosen denial and skepticism to cope.
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7 hours ago, EKS said:
The best way to deal with a lack of teacher support is to work well ahead of your student. You can't teach something you don't know yourself, regardless of what's in the teacher's manual. You can't grade it properly either.
As for the working independently thing--it's a totally ridiculous expectation. The only reason that the idea is so entrenched in the homeschooling community is that it's the only way to approach math if the parent is unwilling to learn the math themselves and is also unwilling to enroll their student in a real class.
Derek Owens Prealgebra is excellent, btw. Jacobs Algebra has the algebra part of prealgebra built in, and the problem sets are brilliant. It would be a good choice if your student has mastered the arithmetic part of prealgebra.
I think that is a good point, that we must understand it to teach it. I certainly didn't teach myself math, so I really don't expect to put my son into that situation. Math is such an important subject, and I think that is why I am doing a lot of deliberating on it. I liked Abeka because I felt like I had a lot of tools for teaching, but sometimes it felt like a lot of moving parts. I realize now it was much more effective than our Master Books curriculum. We switched because we'd have gone from a revised version to an unrevised grade level. Thank you for that tidbit on Jacob's--I didn't realize it had pre-algebra built into it.
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6 hours ago, Kassia said:
We have been hovering at around 20% for a while - going a little above and then dipping a little below (21 yesterday). We just had a big outbreak at our school district so I expect those numbers to increase by quite a bit. Our little county hospital has been full for a while now. 100% of ICU beds are Covid patients and 1/3 of the hospital beds are Covid patients.
Meanwhile, people in town are acting like nothing is happening. Very few masks and lots of gatherings. 58% fully vaccinated. I am the most worried about it in my own home and it causes so much stress because my adult kids are home and doing many things I consider risky to all of us and I'm the only one who cares. I'm tired of being the Covid police and not feeling safe in my own home. And I'm tired of being the bad guy all the time telling them that the fun things they want to do make me nervous and uncomfortable.
I feel the same. My husband won’t let our children be vaccinated, and his family is coming for Christmas after a travel indoor baseball tournament where they stayed in hotels and pictures showed no masks. We drove to get tests, but I doubt his sister’s family did. And their mom has cancer and is immunocomp. She’s okay with it, though. I’m not and have to go along with it all.
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I have no good advice, but I am in the same situation. My son is actually using level 6 Master Books this year, and I also feel there is a lack of support. It seems like in the middle grades, a lot of curriculums are geared towards the child being independent and teaching him/herself. I've looked at Archi-Math and Right Start Math, but those lack a true teacher's manual. I am wondering if I should return to Abeka or BJU. BJU is revising its 6th and 7th grade math, and so the new versions will be available for next school year it looks like. I believe the pre-algebra comes after 7th. I know Singapore is a different style, and BJU is more "traditional." I am leaning towards starting my son in 7th since there is some algebra included in it. I did well in math in school, but I need help teaching it and knowing the right way to explain things. I love the idea of teaching algebra through geometry like you see with Archi-Math, Right Start, and Singapore----but there just doesn't seem to be the right teacher support for people who want it. Also, my son is NOT independent. He is in 4th grade, and I do not see that changing in the next year or two.
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What are your thoughts on Right Start Math Levels G-H?
It looks like a lot of geometry and drawing, and I am wondering if it has enough pre-algebra/algebra for the middle school years with reinforcement? I've looked at the samples.
Archi-Math appears to be integrated math, and some don't see it as a complete program, but there are solutions built into the texts. It looks like more of a balance of algebra, geometry, arithmetic, etc.
Both are written to the student. I'm concerned with Right Start, it might be too much focus on drawing accuracy and not enough algebra prep. But on the other hand, I've read the best way to learn is by doing and not just applying to what someone else has done. I really like the look of the Archi-Math Bulgarian Math, but I can't quite figure out if a student would be ready for Algebra I after level 8B or Algebra II/Geometry, if they had to go back to a normal school. And the people who work for it can't tell me that because they say it doesn't follow traditional US math.
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Thank you everyone for your responses! Yes, I am not very sure about Singapore for us and my "teachability" with it. I have now looked at Archi-Math Bulgarian Math, but I am not sure if we stopped using it for some reason why he would be placed, say after the grade 8 level. Right Start intrigues me, mainly because I think he might enjoy the drawing. I dislike that by middle school, though, some texts are written directly to the student because he would be taking these classes at a slightly younger age.
Has anyone here tried Right Start or looked at Archi-Math Bulgarian Math?
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Another option is a lot of curriculums offer DVD instruction. And a lot of curriculum is designed to be independent at that level---you can oversee her work without "teaching." Abeka has DVD instruction, and so does Memoria Press and Classical Academic Press. I am new to this forum. I am wishing you all the best. Social media can be very unhealthy for us all, so I can only imagine for a child...
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I came across this math as a suggestion and alternative to Singapore Dimensions 6-8. I see that this math is an integrated program. Would a student who completed a grade 6 traditional program move into level 6A or 7A? What do you do if you find the program is not working mid-program? What traditional maths does this program cover in 6-9? What math would come next after level 9B? I have tried to read a bit on the website. I know integrated math has been a bit controversial among public school parents. Thanks for an information!
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On 10/7/2021 at 1:27 AM, Foofaraw said:
An alternative to Dimensions is this new Bulgarian Math program: https://archi-math.com/bookstore-2/
It is workbook based but for higher levels. Some of the reviews in the longer, textbook front matter mention singapore math for elementary, but then not having a great American curriculum for middle through high school. (Includes mention of AOPS.) Seems it’s affiliated with the professor who promoted math circles in the US, but it’s really geared towards any student with problem set differentiation, etc.
I really hope homeschoolers start checking it out, because I’m interested in using it post singapore math! The more integrated geometry and format are very appealing to me.
Hi there, can you tell me more about this Archi-Math Bulgarian Math program? If a child is currently using a grade 6 traditional math curriculum, would he go into 6A or 7A of this program? After levels 6-9 are completed, what is next? And if it doesn't work out mid-program, what would one do, since it is integrated? I know this approach has been controversial among public school parents. Thanks for any insight!
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Hi there!
My 4th grade son just started Master Books Level 6 math. For the most part, it seems MB has "caught up" to other level 6 math programs once you reach this level (it is a gentler approach to math in the lower grades, that's for certain). I made the switch this school year from Abeka, mainly because we'd be going from a revised to an older, unrevised Abeka version. We started with Master Books Level 5 after Abeka, and here we are... I don't really care for this curriculum after using it for a few months.
I've started to look at what we might do next year for math.
I can see how some of the methods used by Singapore could be beneficial, but it is a bit confusing to me. I learned math the traditional US way.
I'm honestly not sure if he would do well with Singapore, or if would confuse him---- I'm sure we could continue with traditional US math, and he'd be fine with the course work. I am looking at Bob Jones University (BJU) middle school math. But would he be missing some benefit if he didn't do Singapore? After Singapore Dimensions we'd have to find a new program for Geometry or Algebra II, so does it even matter what math we used to get there, assuming he could do well with either?
If that's the case, maybe I should stick with something that is more teachable for me. A little voice inside my head says I can do better with traditional math, but I am willing to put in more work if it would benefit my child to switch.
What are your thoughts? I read so much about how the US is behind in math. Our public school is no exception to that, so we are in our second year of homeschooling. My son is about to turn 10, so who knows what he will do for a living, but I do want STEM careers to be options for my children----is that still possible with "traditional US math?"
Thanks for any help!
The Vaccine Thread
in The Chat Board
Posted
I just had mine on Sunday, but I originally had the one-and-done vaccine. Now my husband, who is vaccinated, is very skeptical of all the extra doses. How does one answer the question about not truly knowing what long-term effects so many injections could potentially have? I know vaccine reactions usually occur shortly after an injection, but it is true, we have never had mRNA vaccines. I know this technology has been studied for a long time, but does anyone truly know, especially if they are given to a developing child? My husband is skeptical about vaccinating our children, and while I would like to with a degree of certainty of safety, I do worry about the trauma of multiple shots, over and over again. They are just little children, and I have a large family. I feel like people are either anti-vaccines or don't ask these questions.