Why do you love or hate saxon?

[mom2agang]

For those who have actually used the curriculum why do you love it or hate it?

[JudoMom]

It's all we've used, so I can't really compare to other curriculums. We're currently using 6/5, 5/4, 2, 1, & K.

 

I like that it's easy to teach/scripted in the lower levels. This was especially helpful when I was first starting out because I'm not a natural teacher, nor am I a Mathy person. It's still helpful, even though I know more of what I'm doing, because I don't have to really think to teach the concepts.

 

I like that my older boys can be independent. We started using the DIVE cds in the past couple of months, but before that they were doing well reading the lessons themselves. I added the DIVE cds just to ease my mind a bit.

 

I don't like the meeting in the younger levels, and we dropped that early on. We cover the skills in other ways (skip counting at memory time, calander in daily life, etc).

 

I like the use of manipulatives in the younger years. I like that math facts are drilled. I like that there are a lot of problems in 5/4 up. I usually only assign odds or evens, but there is extra practice if needed. I like that concepts are continually reviewed.

 

I do add in Evan Moor's Daily Word Problems for extra practice and to gain exposure to problems that aren't presented in the Saxon way. This fall my oldest will begin supplementing with Life of Fred just to help make sure he's got an understanding of the whys behind the math.

[vettechmomof2]

This is going to sound cliche but I love Saxon because my daughter does. Many times throughtout the day when we are doing something else involving math she will tell me that she figured it out because of Saxon.

At our last hs gym class the children were having a conversation about math programs:001_huh: and my daughter proudly proclained that she is a "SAXON GIRL". Now she wants a t-shirt saying that.

 

Truth, my daughter likes the repetitive nature of Saxon.

[Colleen in SEVA]

I love it AND hate it. :D

 

I used it as a student and went on to do well in higher levels of math. I still have fond memories of the Algebra 1/2 book, as I felt soooo smart being able to do it. Algebra was always played up to be something for smart people.

 

I could not teach from it though, I don't think. It would NOT be a good fit for Blue or Green (due to the repetitive nature, those two like to be constantly challenged), and since I am used to a different style now, I think it would be hard to switch. It is on my list of "programs to consider if what we do stops working".

 

Overall, Saxon is a very solid, proven, rigorous program and anytime someone tells me their kids use Saxon I usually assume their kids will do well later on and truly understand math.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Colleen in SEVA

[Colleen in SEVA]

Allene -- here you go!

http://buttons.cafepress.com/saxon-girl_flair

 

Or this :001_huh: ... (adult-ish content in this one)

http://shop.cafepress.com/design/20430011

[dangermom]

I like Saxon because it seems to fit my daughter's brain. She does well with the concepts presented incrementally, and she really needs all that drill. So far so good.

[Lori D.]

Not so much love or hate Saxon, but rather that it just was not a good fit for either son for different reasons.

 

Older DS is very good with math, but Saxon was NOT a good fit for him because it breaks concepts into too many small incremental steps, and then spreads them out over too many lessons, with sometimes a week or more going be in between the steps. Too much review for him as well. Miquon, Singapore Primary and NEM, and Jacobs Algebra and Geometry have matched up very well for him.

 

Younger DS really struggles with math, so Saxon was NOT a good fit for him. Too many problems on a page; too many different concepts on a page -- visually and mentally overwhelming for him. Also, the higher the level of Saxon, the more abstract/logical it becomes in how it explains the concepts. Younger DS really needs concrete/visual explanations, *especially* with abstract math concepts. Also, Saxon is a spiral rather than mastery approach, and younger DS really does better with a mastery approach with review of past concepts. He has done best with Math-U-See.

 

One final observation about Saxon -- especially as you get into the higher math levels (pre-algebra, algebra), it is not so much about "math thinking" and problem solving but rather memorization of math formulas and plugging the right formula in for the right wording of story problem. In contrast, Singapore really teaches math thinking and problem solving skills no matter how the word problem is worded.

 

Personal note: I highly encourage everyone to use more than one math program (a "spine" and a "supplement") for as long as possible (at least up through pre-algebra) in order to see math from more than one point of view and to help students realize there are a variety of ways of understanding math concepts and in getting to the answer. And in the end, isn't that what we want for our students for using math in real life -- understanding connections and how to get to the answer of a real life math problem, whether that is figuring out income tax or interest on a loan; how much gravel to buy to cover so much of the yard so deep; how long will they need to save vs. how much more for buying on credit; etc.

 

 

Saxon is a fine program and works for many families. But ANY math program needs to match up with a student's learning style to be most helpful and effective. And that may mean a completely different math program for each child in the family... BEST of luck in finding the math program(s) that works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Country Mouse]

I don't LOVE Saxon but I do like it and will continue to use it as long as possible.

I like that it is scripted and uses a lot of manipulatives for the early grades.

I think it is a very thorough, solid program and I feel confident that my ds is getting a good foundation in math.

[Kris in Wis]

I like it because it has worked for (most of) my children, and very effectively.

 

I like that is is laid out systematically, with consistent review. (When that review isn't needed, we don't do those problems.) But I find that stuff sticks better with repeated use.

 

I like it because I myself learned a lot using it with my children! I was always bad at math, never understanding the "whys" of it. Saxon has helped me more clearly grasp mathematical concepts.

[Brindee]

Lori D., I like, and agree with, your post! Thankyou for sharing those thoughts!

 

I liked Saxon, and had heard good things about it, so got it for my kids. It did not work at ALL with any of them! It bored my oldest to (almost) tears! It was just not right, not sure exactly why, for my younger ds. It also bored my dd to literal tears, and she began hating math because of it. ( I should've stepped in sooner, but didn't realize the depth of how dd felt :( ) So, though I thought it'd be great, it was a HUGE NO for our family.

 

TT math (dd-Pre-Algebra for grade 5, ds-Algebra 1 for grade 8) helped bring them back around to at least tolerating math without complaint. They both liked the visual aspect, especially ds. This year we did LoF---both my younger two LOVE it! They LOVE doing math now! We supplemented dd's with some Singapore and some R&S math when appropriate. DS just worked with LoF advanced Algebra, and did extra "stuff" with dh(who LOVES math!). They both rated in the 90+% on their ITBS tests in the math areas, so it seems to be working. DD was afraid of algebra after Saxon and TT, but feels ready to tackle it now. DS will do LoF Geometry, supplemented with "Key To" books, or something else, not sure exactly what yet. (Just a reminder, LoF IS a complete program! :) )

 

And, I reiterate what Lori D. said:

Saxon is a fine program and works for many families. But ANY math program needs to match up with a student's learning style to be most helpful and effective. And that may mean a completely different math program for each child in the family...

 

Best wishes in finding what works best!

[FO4UR]

I don't like scripted lessons. For math, I really like a concept-based and flexible lesson.

[MamaT]

I have never used anything else. Saxon has worked well for my kids and I feel like it is a very thorough program. Don't fix it if it ain't broke!

[Mommy22alyns]

I used it and did NOT like it. It wasn't a good fit for us. It was so scripted (even more so than FLL, which I love) that I felt fake and Becca saw right through it. It was very "one step forward, three steps back" and Becca (and I) grew impatient with it very quickly. There was no way to skip ahead without leaving out some things that she did need to learn or repeating things she already knew and beating them into the ground.

 

I have no doubt that it's an excellent and thorough program. It just didn't work for us. :)

[MIch elle]

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/1SmartMama/2009/04/08/Leigh-for-Lunch-with-Art-Reed

[Melissa B]

I really like the K-3 program. If you do the whole lesson every time, a child should leave level 3 with a SOLID base - especially in math facts. The repetitive lessons are fun for my younger kids. It moves slowly and steadily. My kids enjoy the meeting book: checking the weather, filling in the calendar, patterns, word problems, the whole lot - they like knowing what is going to happen next on a day to day basis. They like that they "know" much of the lesson each time. But, we move away from the program after level 3. I found that it then began to move too slowly and was too repetitive for my older girls. What was fun in the early years was now busy work and quite boring. I needed something more challenging on a day to day basis.

[Chris in VA]

I liked how it cleverly taught advanced concepts at a young age, so they weren't "scary" later. For example, time is spent in Saxon 3 (we did it in 2nd grade) with the number line and the thermometer. Put them together later in the year, and you get the coordinate plane--brilliant.

 

I think lots of people don't realize that Saxon doesn't just jump from concept to concept; even if the lesson is on something different almost every day, the meeting and the worksheets review and expand.

[nutmeg]

This is our first year with Saxon. After completing Singapore 1-6, I felt dd could use one more year to solidify some concepts before starting Algebra. I chose Saxon Algebra 1/2 (2nd ed.) for this year, as I wanted a program that was a little more 'traditional' than Singapore. Well, it has been an interesting exercise, frustrating at times. DD definitely needs more time on a concept before moving on, and Saxon simply isn't giving her that. Last week I picked up Lial's Beginning Algebra (library sale - $2!!!) and I'm pulling practice problems from there.

 

So now I am on the hunt for next year's Algebra curricula, as Saxon is off our list. I have the Lial's, and I've picked up Jacobs and Life of Fred from the library to review. :)

[PCA]

Thank you for asking this question, I was wanting to know the same thing.

 

I agree with Lori D., that recommended choosing 2 math programs - a "spine" and a "supplement".

 

I use math u see and was thinking about using Saxon as my supplement, now I am not so sure!

[dangermom]

 

I don't like scripted lessons. For math, I really like a concept-based and flexible lesson.

I always felt that the scripts were there to fall back on if needed, but weren't mandatory at all. I usually just look at the script and use it as a base for what I'm doing, which may be quite different.

[Angel]

This was our first year using Saxon with my younger dd. We were given Saxon 2 free and Rod & Staff was not working. I don't love it because I would never learn math this way;) Dd has enjoyed this year though and that's what counts.;)

 

Here's why I think it's working for us...

 

Very hands on with all the manipulatives - dd loves using them!

 

Each day is working with a new concept - dd loves not spending 4 or 5 days on the same concept

 

It's scripted for me - I'm such a math-o-phobe :lol:

 

Here's what I have not liked after using it a year...

 

The speed tests are almost the only facts work. Dd is having trouble getting her facts down and the speed tests are getting frustrating. She grasps the other math concepts with surprising speed but we are getting bogged down with facts.

 

The meeting book takes a lot of time to complete and then add the lesson on top and you have for a long lesson. I lean more CM and over an hour on math is just too much time at this age (JMHO). We have been breaking the meetings down and doing a part each day to get through all the meeting concepts in a week.

 

All that said, we are continuing with Saxon 3 next year. And we are going to work on those math facts this summer;)

[Malenki]

I like Saxon because it seems to fit my daughter's brain. She does well with the concepts presented incrementally, and she really needs all that drill. So far so good.

 

:iagree:

 

Just change it to "son" and that's my answer.

 

Seeing my son understand concepts and apply them to other things throughout our day is outstanding. I am always hearing that Saxon doesn't teach kids how to think mathematically but for our son it has given him the tools to do so. Although, we're only in level 2, so who knows how it will apply later. But seeing him be able to say "I understand! It's like this..." at other times of the day is priceless.

 

He is not mathematically inclined at all (his strengths are in language). He bombed horribly with R&S and Singapore and wanted nothing to do with MUS. Horizons was way too colorful and moved too quickly.

 

We'll use it with the little guy at first. He's quicker to understand concepts but loves repetition so it will probably work. Plus, I like teaching it so that's half the battle right? :)

[KrissiK]

I hate Saxon. Now, I must say I haven't taught it in a homeschool setting. I taught it in Christian school. I thought it was boring, but what frustrated me the most was that if the class didn't get the concept, ie. finding the area of a shape, then we'd have to wait to pick it up again. I found myself making a lot of re-teaching worksheets and projects so the kids could understand the concept.

[Lori D.]

Allison, we did use Saxon as a supplement (with older DS who was using Singapore), and it is quite different in presentation and viewpoint from MUS, so it could work for you. To use it as a supplement, I would skim through the lessons until I hit a concept we had not seen before, or one in which I wanted to review, or was presented in a different way from Singapore; then I would look through the next 10-12 lessons and mark all of the ones which introduced another "bite" of that concept; then we would go over the concept putting all the "bites" together from the 3-6 chapters which covered that concept all in one sitting (usually took us about 15 minutes); and then I'd circle several problems in each of those chapters which dealt with that concept, plus some interesting review problems, so he would end up doing about 20-25 problems (which would usually take him about 30 minutes).

 

Another math program that works well with MUS as a "counterpoint" supplement is Singapore. We used Singapore as supplement with DS who used MUS as the spine. We usually did the Singapore a grade level below the MUS. For example:

 

MUS Delta / Singapore 3A/B

MUS Epsilon / Singapore 4A/B

MUS Zeta / Singapore 5A/B

MUS Pre-Algebra / Singapore 6A/B

 

 

BEST of luck, whatever you go with! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Lori D.
correction

[PCA]

Lori,

 

Thank you SO much! Great information! And I think I will look into Singapore as well :)

 

Thanks!

[LizzyBee]

I used Saxon with one of my kids for a year because she needed a change of pace. On a few occasions, the information in the book was not mathematically correct, so I had to tell my dd to ignore what the book said and re-teach the lesson. There were not enough practice problems for the concept taught in a particular lesson, but practice problems ad nauseum for old concepts. The topics bounced all over the place. My dd liked Saxon when we first started it because it was easier than the curriculum she'd been using, but after a few months she didn't like it because she found it confusing.

[Peela]

Boring.

[alegnab]

Ds#1 loved the lower elementary levels of Saxon, but he hated 54 and up. He was so bored with the daily review of stuff he already knew well. His grades got worse and worse as we went along. I talked to dh about switching him, but we decided to keep him in it. Finally, in 87 w/Pre-Alg, I decided that we had to switch to something else. Ds was getting approximately half of his problems wrong each day -- and it wasn't due to not understanding. He usually got them right when he had to redo them. And his Stanford 9 scores showed that he was understanding math, since they were in the mid-high 90's. Ds hates math with a passion.

[Heather in Neverland]

I hate Saxon because it made my ds cry pretty much every day. He hated math so much. We have switched to MUS and the whole family is happier!

[Melanie]

We've always used it, but we skipped the lower levels and started with 5/4. My 4th grader just finished 7/6 and my 7th grader is finishing up Algebra 1. I don't love it or hate it, but it is definitely boring! I like it because it is self-teaching. My kids read the lessons and do the work on their own; all I do is grade the papers. (I still work through the books ahead of them in case they need help, but they rarely need anything from me.)

[eksargent]

We ditched Saxon about a month ago. I REALLY wanted it to work for my 2 sons. It simply did not. Here's why...

 

1. The meetings were dreadful...long and boring. I appreciate going over facts until they are mastered...but the same "meeting" over and over and over. Uggg!

 

2. We began to skip things that they had already mastered...but that came back to bite us. We would get to a later lesson and needed something from a previous lesson that we had skipped.

 

3. I did not like math being so scripted. Some subjects I need that, but not math. It slowed us down.

 

4. My kids started to hate math! They began to beg me not to do it. It was the worst part of out school day. So, I gave in.

 

I found CLE and we are LOVING it! I won't go into details about CLE, just know that if Saxon does not work for you there are plenty of great options out there!

[PollyOR]

I used K-54 for 2nd dd. Thoughts of starting over with next child made ME cry. I just could not force myself to do it! Never again....

 

FWIW, we switched to R&S.

[vettechmomof2]

Allene -- here you go!

http://buttons.cafepress.com/saxon-girl_flair

 

Or this :001_huh: ... (adult-ish content in this one)

http://shop.cafepress.com/design/20430011

 

Thanks.

The first one is perfect but I am making her make her own.:) have to find the hs oppurtunity in everything, right.

[Aloha2U]

Our experience with it was short lived, but I'll share it anyways in hopes that it may be helpful to someone. I admit that I only have experience with the lower elementary levels K and 1 (w/manipulatives), however, I had levels 2 & 3 on hand and reviewed them as well before I decided to sell all of my Saxon Math materials and switch our math spine.

 

I really wanted to like Saxon... it was my security blanket. I liked the idea of the incremental approach, with repetition, review, and drilling of math facts. I had no problem with the scripted lessons, they were a great comfort to me as we're just beginning our hs journey. We even enjoyed the meeting book for both Math K and what little of it we did for Math 1. Did I mention that I really wanted to like Saxon Math?

 

Well, we started our journey w/Saxon Math K last September for our PreK/K4 year. Saxon K was a fun intro to math and my little man definitely benefitted from doing it, as did I. Unfortunately, I usually had to make the actual lessons harder or, rather, more in-depth than what was scripted, so that my ds actually got something out of doing them. My ds completed Saxon K (supplemented with Singapore Earlybird) at the end of March, so we dove into Saxon Math 1 immediately thereafter. At first I considered skipping quite a few lessons as I realize that the first part of Saxon is review, but he was well beyond much of it. Then, I thought perhaps we'll just skip Saxon 1 altogether and go on to Saxon 2, but I wouldn't have wanted to miss a key element in Saxon 1 if we skipped it. In short, the more I looked through the material in Saxon 1 (as well as Saxon 2 and 3) the more I realized that Saxon's way of teaching concepts in their K-3 levels and their incremental approach - sporadic baby steps needlessly drawn out and therefore hindering a true understanding of what is being taught, IMHO - was not going to fly with us.

 

That said, I already had RightStart's Math Card Games Kit, that we were doing on the side and I could easily see that these games/activities were far more beneficial than many of the actual lessons scripted in Saxon Math K and Saxon Math 1... which is what initially led me to further research RightStart's methods and eventually make the switch from Saxon to RightStart. Would I recommend Saxon Math K to anyone starting out in their hs journey? Absolutely! As I'll take the good that I've learned from Saxon and apply it to our new journey w/RS. However, I swear that RightStart Mathematics was heaven sent... our lessons just seem to flow perfectly. What I mean is... I believe that completing Saxon Math K (along with Cursive First's number practice sheets) and then following it with RightStart Level A has been the perfect progression for us. Supplementing our math program with Singapore Earlybird has definitely been an added bonus, but I'm glad we're using it just as that... a fun workbook supplement. We have truly been blessed in our mathematic academic choices thus far, even if we are just beginning our journey. I wouldn't change a thing if I had to do it over again.

 

I will say that I agree with someone in the RS Yahoo! Group who stated (and I'll echo) that every kid is different and there are certainly kids for whom Saxon is perfect, but I do think RightStart, like it's name says, seems to be a better way to START math... a better way of laying a solid foundation for kids, before they go on to more advanced mathematical concepts. RightStart is engaging and so educational... I think even more than Saxon, in that it teaches multiple strategies for a true understanding of math. It's more hands-on, it's more "real" and concrete for young brains... instead of just memorizing facts/formulas, for instance, without truly understanding the concepts behind them.

 

I don't know why I felt compelled to share all this, but there it is. HTH!

 

:001_smile:

[Mandamom]

I didn't like SAxon because there were so many words on the page in the older versions we used (54 and 76) and with children who struggle with reading it becomes overwhelming.

 

I think that Saxon can be a strong program for the right student but it didn't fit out situation.

[arcara]

I was drawn to Saxon by the review, but the incremental method is very slow and is finally making us look at other math programs. I think I'll keep the Saxon things I have for now (K - 65), for review if we need it, but we're moving away from it as our main program.

[willowcreek]

I used Saxon 3 with my 7 yo and it was great at first. He liked the meeting times, and things are explained really well. However, it got tedious and moved a little too slowly. We ended up ditching the meeting times by the end of the year, and he could have done several lessons in a more compressed time frame. However, he did learn and is very competent. But we are switching to MUS.

 

My oldest- 7th grade--did 8/7 and really liked the independence. He used the DIVE CD, and the drills were good for him--routine and he liked competing against himself. But it got boring and dry. Switching to LOF and TT for Algebra. Saxon just feels cumbersome and boring over time.

 

My 4th grader is great at math and became really frustrated with the repetitiveness of it. Had I been wiser, I would have reduced the number of problems he needed to do earlier--before he felt bored and burned out with it. He's great at math but ended up hating math by the end of one year. Now we're going to switch to MUS and LOF. He's great at math--I might have needed him to be in a higher level for more challenge so it didn't get so boring and repetitive quickly.

[Jeanine in TX]

I have used Saxon with dd11 and ds9. We liked the repetition and incremental learning. I supplemented with CalcuLadder and Daily Math Review.

 

One problem has come up though. My dd11 is interested in joining a middle homeschool math team. She is solid on the information that she has been taught. However, she somewhat struggles with algebra related questions because she hasn't received much exposure to these type of problems. She has done up to Saxon 6/7. So this summer, we are doing LOF Algebra and will follow up with Jacob's Algebra in the fall.

 

DS9 is entering the fifth grade. We are doing LOF fractions and decimals this summer. In the fall, I will skip Saxon 5/6 and put him in 6/7. Then, in 6th grade we will be able to either do 8/7 or Algebra 1/2. When he is rising 7th grader, he will do Jacob's Algebra.

 

I originally thought doing pre-algebra in 7th grade and algebra in 8th grade was okay. For math competitions, though, it is behind.

[babysparkler]

We both love and hate it all at the same time. I like that it is a good curriculum... the material is thorough and easy to teach/learn. What we don't like is all of the repetition and the spiraling seems to move too slowly. I would have liked the lessons to dig deeper with fewer "spirals". We tend to dig deeper with the lessons and find that we have already covered the new topic when it comes around again. We also skip a lot of the review since my son doesn't seem to need it. For someone who needs the repetition it would be perfect... but for our gifted son, it is a bit too slow.

[babysparkler]

I have used Saxon with dd11 and ds9. We liked the repetition and incremental learning. I supplemented with CalcuLadder and Daily Math Review.

 

One problem has come up though. My dd11 is interested in joining a middle homeschool math team. She is solid on the information that she has been taught. However, she somewhat struggles with algebra related questions because she hasn't received much exposure to these type of problems. She has done up to Saxon 6/7. So this summer, we are doing LOF Algebra and will follow up with Jacob's Algebra in the fall.

 

DS9 is entering the fifth grade. We are doing LOF fractions and decimals this summer. In the fall, I will skip Saxon 5/6 and put him in 6/7. Then, in 6th grade we will be able to either do 8/7 or Algebra 1/2. When he is rising 7th grader, he will do Jacob's Algebra.

 

I originally thought doing pre-algebra in 7th grade and algebra in 8th grade was okay. For math competitions, though, it is behind.

 

I think Saxon should have started introducing algebra type problems earlier too... our son has just finished 7/6 and had a touch of it, but is wanting more. We plan to do 8/7 this coming year (and move to Jacobs Algebra when we complete that... or if he gets bored by the slowness, we may just move on early).

[HSMom2One]

It was not a good fit for our dd for grade 3, and so we switched to MUS the following year -- never once looking back. Saxon is highly, highly repetitious and dd was bored to tears. While we understand the need for repetition in the grammar stage, we found the curriculum to be much more so than necessary. Another problem for us was the lack of visual instruction with Saxon. Our dd is very visual - so we needed to find a program that helped in that area. If we hadn't gone to MUS, we would have switched to Singapore. Both of these options are much more visual.

 

Dd hated math while we used Saxon, but when we found MUS she went back to loving math again.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[Orthodox6]

We can't stand Saxon at any level. (My inclination is to add nine hundred exclamation points after that sentence.)

 

In 1985 we spent one week with the programs for grades 1 and 3. The scripting irked me. The producer obviously believed that adults can neither remember anything about math, nor communicate anything to a child without reading from a robot-produced script. I also noticed quickly that Saxon math was a giant step backward for my boys, who had just completed grades K and 2 in a Montessori school.

 

Over the years since, we occasionally tried to give Saxon math another chance with those same two boys.

 

Boys' dislike: Saxon spiral approach is so "thin" that, within a given lesson, the student has a very small number of practice problems with a new concept -- not enough learning/practice to be ready to review the concept on the next day.

 

My dislikes: (1) same as the boys'. (2) Dreadfully inadequate (even useless) explanations for teaching concepts. So many times I just "x'ed out" the chapter text and taught the boys myself how to understand and execute the problems. (3) The program content consistently was below grade level for other programs which I would examine or use. (4) The very strange tack of sprinkling geometry through the algebra texts, leaving the student unprepared for taking the PSAT and possibly the SAT as well. Finally -- (How many years since launching the product ?!) -- Saxon has released a geometry text for high school.

 

Positive thoughts? . . . not really. I would be glad to like Saxon, were it possible.

[swimmermom3]

None of my kids like math. We began homeschooling two years ago in part because of our district's math policies and performance level. So, this is what math has looked like in our house for the past 2 Years:

 

Ds (11) - Saxon 5/4, 6/5 (part), 7/6. Self-taught. 10 minutes a day w/ Mom to check anything he didn't get in corrections. Thinks Saxon is A-ok and that he is a total math dude!

 

Ds (14) - Saxon Algebra 1/2, 7/6, returned to Algebra 1/2. Gaps went back two grade levels when we pulled him out of ps. At grade level now. Self-taught. Almost always understands but goes way too fast. Thinks Saxon is fine.

 

Dd (16) -Math phobic. Deer in headlights. Pulled from ps hs Geometry. Tried Geometry online. Now using Jacobs Geometry. Bingo! She is definitely not a Saxon girl. Mom is currently working through the book a couple lessons ahead. This is where all my math tutoring time goes.

 

This is my long-winded way of supporting what's been written here: Saxon is great for some and not for others. However, it has pulled this household back from the math abyss. Saxon has given us basic skills and Jacobs is addressing more of the why.

[Brindee]

 

My 4th grader is great at math and became really frustrated with the repetitiveness of it. Had I been wiser, I would have reduced the number of problems he needed to do earlier--before he felt bored and burned out with it. He's great at math but ended up hating math by the end of one year. Now we're going to switch to MUS and LOF. He's great at math--I might have needed him to be in a higher level for more challenge so it didn't get so boring and repetitive quickly.

Wow, your 4th grader sounds like he is a lot like my dd, and her bad experience with Saxon was in 4th also! We only got 1/2 way through 76 before she just couldn't stand it anymore, and hated all math for a long time because of it! I wish I wouldn't have tried it, but I THOUGHT it would be good. I can't go back now, obviously, but we HAD to move on to something else. She did TT Pre-Algebra in 5th grade, and liked it soooo much better! She did the first two LoF books and some R&S and Singapore for supplementing this year in 6th. She loves LoF, and will be doing the beginning Algebra and CLE Math 8 this year. I just ordered the CLE math, so I haven't gotten to see it, to see how we'll schedule it, but from what I could tell it was more practical than just a bunch of problems on a page. I'm hoping those two will go well together! She really is good at math, but still has that unsureness about her abilities because of that experience 3 years ago!

[cathmom]

My oldest child (now graduated) started with Saxon 76, skipped 87, and then continued on through finishing Advanced Mathematics. At first he liked it, but then as he got higher, he understood less and less. Finally he was floundering (about the time I had the twins) and hated to disturb me for help. The DIVE CDs did not help - he needed someone to explain things to him. My mom then paid for a math tutor who helped him get through it all. He does not like math, does not like Saxon, and probably didn't get much from it. I agree with a previous poster, that Saxon does not promote true understanding but rather plugging things in.

 

With my older dd, we began with Saxon Math 1 and went through 3. The program seemed to be ok for her. She didn't actively hate math and seemed to be learning. However the constant drill was hard on her since she has dyslexia. I usually did not make her do everything on the page, but just circled what I thought she needed to review. Then she went on to 54 with a DIVE CD, and she began to really not like it. She didn't like the CDs, and again she was having trouble with learning the facts. When we got to long division, it made absolutely no sense to her. I didn't like that now either I had to copy the practice problems for her, photocopy them, or have her rewrite everything (which would be very difficult with her dysgraphia and dyslexia).

 

With my younger dd, she began the same way as older dd, with Math 1. About halfway into Math 2 we had to stop. She absolutely could not learn with an incremental approach. We would do a lesson and she wouldn't understand it, then the next day it would be a different topic and she wouldn't understand that, and then on and on. She never felt good about math, always felt like she couldn't understand anything, could not do drill, could not remember math facts. So we quit. We tried Singapore, which was slightly better.

 

I highly doubt I would ever use Saxon again for any of my dc. I have now switched both my girls to Math-U-See and they are both doing MUCH better. My younger dc will use RightStart (my 5 yo is doing A and LOVES it!) and then switch over to MUS. I love RS! I can see that it is helping my son internalize math concepts.

 

So as you can see, I have used Saxon extensively and I don't like it much at all.

[Elizabeth Conley]

We hated it. The way skills are presented, in tiny little bits with it taking weeks to get the entire skill set together, infuriated us. The random interjection of topics that had little or nothing to do with the surrounding material was annoying too.

 

As time passed the extreme spiral nature of Saxon became dizzying. We had a very hard time figuring out how to go back and review a concept, everything was jumbled together so badly.

 

The tedium of it had my 12 year old daughter close to tears.

 

We switched to MUS, because it's easy to see where you are in the learning process, what you've mastered and where you need to go if something must be reviewed. There's no wasted time either. Once a subject is mastered, it's easy to skip a few lessons, take the test to confirm mastery and move on. Our son screams through MUS at 2 lessons a week. Our daughter enjoys it to, moving at a slightly slower pace because of the addition of Honors material. Further, because MUS is so well organized, we can find skills that tie in with Social Studies or Science and take advantage of cross-discipline connections. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing that with Saxon. The subtopics in Saxon were jumbled together in such a way that it would have been nearly impossible.

 

I think Saxon would have worked for us if we had been using it since Kindergarten or 1st grade. Since the kids and I had both been exposed to other curriculums, we were very frustrated by the organization of information in the Saxon system.

[Vida Winter]

I love and use 5/4 for 3rd grade, and I strongly dislike using the earlier grades in Saxon - they take too long, too scripted, too, too too....

 

That being said, I use Singapore also. There are times when I need to back off of Singapore when they start moving too quickly. That's when I like to use Saxon, in particular 5/4.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Not so much love or hate Saxon, but rather that it just was not a good fit for either son for different reasons.

 

Older DS is very good with math, but Saxon was NOT a good fit for him because it breaks concepts into too many small incremental steps, and then spreads them out over too many lessons, with sometimes a week or more going be in between the steps. Too much review for him as well.

 

This was our issue with Saxon as well. We used Saxon 1 - 3 with my oldest and it just about killed his love of learning. Drill and Kill. Way too much review of older problems and not a big enough bite of the apple each time. I found myself skipping ahead to find more on the same topic. It was so much work for me. It took my son from thinking mathematically to looking to provide rote answers. I looked ahead at 5/4 and above and didn't like what I saw. I saw pages and pages of problems that looked the same. Very little mathematical thinking going on.

 

We switched to Singapore and have not looked back. I have had to supplement with math fact drill and occasionally provide exercises from other textbooks to see how they are doing. The proof is in the pudding. Standardized tests scores are great in math.

[Audrey]

For those who have actually used the curriculum why do you love it or hate it?

 

 

I really don't like the way Saxon is set up and I find the lessons so very loooong. I've come to loathe it.

 

However, it works for my ds where nothing else really has, so in that sense, I love what it does for him. In the end, it isn't about whether *I* like it or not. It's about how it works (or doesn't) for my kid.

[Love2Smile]

I really don't like the way Saxon is set up and I find the lessons so very loooong. I've come to loathe it.

 

However, it works for my ds where nothing else really has, so in that sense, I love what it does for him. In the end, it isn't about whether *I* like it or not. It's about how it works (or doesn't) for my kid.

 

 

Well said! I agree! Nothing has worked but Saxon. My kids hate it, but you know what? Too bad...math is math...They learn from it and it's easy for me to teach....Many times I have them do every other problem on the pages if it's too much

[FlockOfSillies]

it breaks concepts into too many small incremental steps, and then spreads them out over too many lessons, with sometimes a week or more going be in between the steps.

 

:iagree: This was Saxon K in a nutshell for us. I tried it in K (should have used it in preschool), but we always found ourselves going deeper than the lesson did, and then skipping over the same material later. I switched to Singapore and never went back to Saxon.

 

But the counting bears sure are cute. :)