I'll be odd with you!

I'm not familiar with the text. If you're talking about solving linear equations that have fractions, the idea behind clearing the fractions is that then you get an equation that is generally much easier to solve. See here for an example - last example on the page.

My husband is missing a molar. He just has the gap. The issue is that teeth can move with it, but he's doing fine with the space. I have two bridges. I wore Maryland bridges for a number of years. When I was ready for something permanent, I went with bridges over implants because I couldn't stand the idea of the surgery. The drawback is that I'll have to have bridges forever since the surrounding teeth were filed down to stubs. It's a tough choice. Any empty space is filled by the bridge. If you didn't know I had them and which teeth, you'd never know.

:iagree: Feminist homeschooler here. I also teach nights, so my son sees my job as an educator. It's also clear that it's my choice to stay home and teach him. My husband supports me fully and it's his choice that I stay home too. I did have a rough transition to staying at home, but it's clearly "our" money and it was mainly my mindset that was the problem. When my husband's home, he does the cooking and cleaning since I'm often doing other work :) My son's got a lot of good role models... and my husband considers himself a feminist too!

Glad you got some answers! :grouphug:

Bribery. We did the teaching of what multiplication means etc. But there comes a point where you just have to KNOW your times tables. We run through a stack of flashcards (0s through 12s) on Wednesdays. We use a timer and time how long it takes him to get through the set. If he gets a card wrong, he has to say aloud the problem and the answer five times ie: "nine times six is fifty-four". This helps with the memorization if there's a memory blank later... by saying "nine times six" it brings back the 54. We record the time on a line graph we're keeping. This lets him see his progress. The bribe was if he got under 3 minutes for 3 weeks in a row, I'd take him to a bookstore and buy him a book (under $20). Took a while, but he's got them now! (Use bribe that works with your kids.)

FYI... in some states/counties ambulances don't carry epinephrine. So unless you've checked in your area, don't count on the ambulance having it. I had been investigating homeschooling in the months before our son's anaphylaxis. His was so fast and we almost missed it ourselves. After his reaction (including a hospitalization), homeschooling was an easy decision.

It seems to be a bit of a wash between the singapore site and Rainbow Resource. I generally order from the site I linked. They've also got an errata list and discussion boards if you have any questions about particular problems.

I like the international edition covers of the Wizard series :)

Can we switch from the US Edition to the Standards Edition? For 1A-2B it is possible to switch from the A book in the U.S. Edition to the B book in the Standards Edition. For levels 3-5, you will need to finish the B books of one level before switching to A book of the next level and not switch mid year. Between levels 5 and 6, it is not advisable to switch editions at all. from here

Here's the software used for CourseCompass/MyMathLab. No work is saved, but the practice online may be helpful on some topics.

Because the negative notation stands for two different things. One is the operation of subtraction and one is the additive inverse. There are times when the mathematical notation that's developed over the years does cause problems with how a student learns. One other example is with function notation. Students get used to parentheses meaning multiplication with arithmetic and then when you find f(3) they try to multiply rather than evaluate. So I can understand using a different symbol to distinguish between an operation and an inverse at an early level. As for FOIL, when I teach it, I refer to it as "the f word in math". HATE, HATE, HATE it. Yes, a good understanding of multiplication of two binomials is essential for factoring, but it's so limiting with multiplication.

Seriously...you've had the experience of being in a classroom for many years. You know what makes a good class. It's not that tough. Sure you get better with time. I know my later students get a better instructor than my earlier students did...but that's true of anything. I don't think the course would likely get you any further with what you want. The way to get more comfortable is by jumping in. None of the education courses I took did anything for making me more comfortable teaching. Drama classes actually probably did the most good. :lol:

We're using the Standards edition so it has more than the US. From what I've seen of samples, level 6 repeats a lot of the prior material and doesn't do a lot that's new. I've bought CWP 6 and IP 6A and 6B and will use those, but I think that'll be enough with AoPS prealgebra or the EM books.

The computer science undergrad would be enough for the related undergrad degree. The number of graduate hours in the subject is needed for college accreditation purposes. So while at the cc I teach at, you don't need graduate hours to teach developmental math, they will always choose someone with the graduate hours over someone without. The hours need to be in the subject area too: math, not math education. Statistics is even borderline :) I started teaching at the cc with 18 graduate hours in math, some experience working as a graduate assistant and in the tutoring center. My interview consisted of me showing my transcript, stating when I could teach, and getting the textbooks and syllabi. I said, "Don't you want to ask me any questions about how I teach?" :lol: For an adjunct, they often just want a warm body with the degree in the classroom. It's a lot harder to get a full-time position. I would not take the course you're looking at unless you are told that it'll be a help to you. The way to get the experience is really to just jump in. Syllabi are generally standard, so you won't be picking a textbook or topics that are covered. Where you'd have freedom is in how you run your class. Do you want to collect homework? Have quizzes? Working in the tutorial center is probably the best way to get a feel for the school. I wouldn't volunteer though. At our cc, those are hourly paid positions & the director of the tutorial center would be the person to talk with. Work there a couple hours a week for a semester or two and you'll have a very good feel for the college and the courses. You also get to see what ways of explanation get through to the students. Students at the cc are very different from students at the university. Night students have a lot more going on with work, school, and family. AMATYC is the professional group for math teachers at 2 year schools. Their conferences are very good and their affiliate groups can be good - some states have more active groups than others. I'm happy to answer specific questions about my experiences via PM. In your situation, I'd suggest working in the tutorial center first, then just asking for a course :) If the department is satisfied you meet the qualifications, then you're in. Learn on the job. I have training in teaching (I'm credentialed to teach h.s. math) and it's utterly useless. I find the classroom "assistant" to be strange - unless their classes are structured at a self-paced level. I'm teaching a course this spring that'll be self-paced and I understand that some schools do many courses that way. Ours is called a "modular" course. Good luck! The first time teaching is a TON of work but it gets easier each semester.

high school prep ?

I'm looking at switching to AoPS PreAlgebra after 5B... or using a different series I have... but AoPS is a good choice.

I used Triangle Education last year for the ITBS and CogAT. I don't know how they did their norming, but they were great with emailing answers to my questions. It does look like they've changed their registration though and require more proof of qualifications.

We took my son last year. He sat with me or his father during the sessions. Lots of people had their kids. As long as they aren't a distraction, it was fine. My son's actually a bit sad that we won't be going to Greenville this year :)

Yes. SWB talks about that and there was some discussion on the Logic board a while ago about it. You could search for her post on it... The student book is directed at the student. The TM has the student instructions but not the excerpts. It also has rubrics for grading and questions to ask the student.

I don't know. We're members ;)

I believe this is a different exhibit than the one that uses Chinese prisoners. They say they have releases from all the bodies used.

This site is the software that is used with many college texts. You could see if you can get a copy of a used text and work the problems online for practice. (Or use the software without the text.) The "Help me solve this" feature or "view an example" are good for explanations. Woodbury Elementary & Intermediate Algebra - 2nd or 3rd ed is good for the rough equivalent of algebra I and II. I really like the explanations in his text (probably since we went to the same undergrad school we explain things similarly :) )

Homeschoolers in state get free admission to the museum. Just need to pay the fee for the traveling exhibit. I believe you need to show proof of homeschooling for free admission. They also have homeschool classes that are pretty good. If you're out of state, it'd be the fee for museum admission plus the traveling exhibit fee.

This would likely only work if it's the same instructor. With different instructors it's not likely to work. If instructors are published now, some have web pages and have their syllabi up. At the college where I teach, my department has a number of absences that a student can take. Once they're over those absences, they're dropped. There are no excused absences either.