Saxon Math is killing me slowly...and my son hates it too...

[golfcartmama]

when do we throw in the towel and move on to something else. We've only been using it for 3 1/2 weeks, but it's not doin' it for me or him!

 

BG: He is strong in math, tested at mid-level 3rd grade coming out of 1st ps. He knows most of his addition facts, does we'll with double digit addition and does well with double digit subtraction--no regouping yet, that lesson starts on Monday for Saxon. We are about 1/2 way through level 2. He *USED* to love doing math, but now moans and groans and complains every.single.day about it.

 

I have Singapore 2A & 2B, but honestly, I don't get how to teach it? Am I missing something in the IG? I have HIG and Student books, is there another piece? Or, should I try something like MUS? I'm at a loss.

[lulubelle]

I had a tough time getting through Saxon 2 this past year with my ds. My husband really wanted to stick with it, so he pitched in and we broke it up into smaller pieces. We got through it. Saxon 3 has been a bit better, but it's a lot. We do better when we break it up or take turns teaching it to him. I'm not exactly sure what is the problem - me, him or Saxon. If it weren't for my dh I would have ditched it. There's been great talk lately about Righstart and Math Mammoth...

[boom1128]

We hated Saxon. It was just too repetitive and boring. We use Singapore now and both girls took right to it and it is working well for them.

[golfcartmama]

boom1128: I figured out I need the workbooks. I got the HIG's and Textbooks used in a bundle for $10 so I picked it up thinking it was complete... Anyway, as far as teaching goes...do you just explain the problems in the HIG and then work though the textbook problems together and then give them workbook pages to do? I can get the workbooks for about $9 ea from Sonlight it looks like, so it might be worth giving it a whirl.

 

lauren: It just seems like it drags, and drags and drags...not that some repetition isn't great, but it's not working out I don't think. It is good to know that 3 moves a little better. We are about to do lesson 65 I think tomorrow and 70 is 1/2 way so if we stick with it we will be in 3 before the school year is out.

[boom1128]

Yes I have the textbook and workbook. They've both been able to pick it up pretty easily. We go over the textbook together and then they work in the workbook. Usually a few pages a day.

[Corraleno]

boom1128: I figured out I need the workbooks. I got the HIG's and Textbooks used in a bundle for $10 so I picked it up thinking it was complete... Anyway, as far as teaching goes...do you just explain the problems in the HIG and then work though the textbook problems together and then give them workbook pages to do? I can get the workbooks for about $9 ea from Sonlight it looks like, so it might be worth giving it a whirl.

Saxon was a total no-go here. You might want to give Math Mammoth a try, it's similar to Singapore but designed specifically for homeschoolers rather classroom teachers. It's all-in-one — no separate text/workbook/HIG. Explanations are right on the workpage, they're very clear and well illustrated, and new concepts are presented in a more step-by-step way than in Singapore. See this thread for discussion of MM, and you can search "math mammoth" in tags to find lots of other threads if you're interested. Currclick currently has 20% off individual books if you want to get an idea of whether it would work for you without spending much, or Homeschool Buyers Coop has complete packages for even less.

 

Jackie

[campmom]

the first year I homeschooled I chose Saxon because everyone said it was the best. We were using Algebra I and 7/6 so it was alittle different level than what you are using. We made it about halfway through until the day I figured out that I hated it as much or more than the kids. That's the day I decided that it didn't really matter how good it was if we hated it that much it wasn't good for us. That's just my story for you it might turn out differently if you stick it out for awhile longer. We switch at that point to MUS for younger and Videotext Algebra these were great choices for us and worked out perfectly. Now for my little dc I'm using Right start but I am considering Math Mammoth after all I've been reading about it here. Only you can know what the best thing for your family is.

[NanceXToo]

You lasted longer than I did with Saxon. I bought it... and never even got started with it!

 

I use an older version of the Oak Meadow curriculum (which I LOVE). It had its own built in math curriculum through 4th grade but back then it recommended Saxon Math for 5th.

 

So this summer I started planning out my daughter's fifth grade year for this fall, and I opened the Saxon book and started reading through its Intro, and then through Lesson 1 (which is just review of course) and that was enough for me to know there was no way I was going to use Saxon.

 

It seemed way too long, way too dry and boring, way more complicated than it needed to be, and I could very easily see both my daughter and myself becoming downright miserable and dreading math if we were to use that curriculum.

 

So, we're not going to use it.

 

I purchased Teaching Textbooks Math 5 instead (which my daughter is downright excited about using and I'm downright relieved such a thing exists, since I'm not that mathy myself) and we'll see how that goes!

 

(I since learned that the current version of Oak Meadow now uses their own math instead of Saxon even in the middle school years, but we both already got excited for TT and had purchased it by the time I learned that).

 

Anyway, to answer your question about "when should we throw in the towel....?"

 

NOW!

 

There is no sense in sticking with something you both hate, IMHO.

[Tenaj]

I absolutely agree that Saxon elementary is drag but let me share that I've decided that all the review, repitition, and, yes, sometimes pure drudgery are sometimes worth it. I took my two older kids through Saxon 1, 2, and 3 and hated it every step of the way so we switched everyone over to MUS which made us all happy. . . BUT . . . their math test scores on the standardized tests started going down, down, down . . and we just kept with it but eventually switched back to Saxon and my oldest will tell you that Saxon has helped him tremendously on the ACT whereas he says that MUS Algebra I and Geometry just didn't do the trick (he switched back into Saxon at Algebra II).

 

My youngers started with MUS and then we messed with Singapore for a few years but suddenly this year I realized that they were not nearly as confident as my olders were with math at the same age and the light dawned that all that Saxon drudgery was what had made my older kids more successful in math.

 

So, for what it's worth, we are back slugging our way through Saxon and I'm determined that though I'll make it as painless as I possibly can, all those drills and repititions are probably going to pay off in the end.

 

Just our experience - I know there's many here who have had much success with many other programs.

[KarenNC]

the first year I homeschooled I chose Saxon because everyone said it was the best. We were using Algebra I and 7/6 so it was alittle different level than what you are using. We made it about halfway through until the day I figured out that I hated it as much or more than the kids. That's the day I decided that it didn't really matter how good it was if we hated it that much it wasn't good for us.

 

That is our story as well, but we were using Singapore (for almost 5 years, tried US and Standards edition) with too many tears and "I can't do this, I'm too stupid at math" issues. I kept slogging through because my best friend thought it was great and it seemed like everyone on the boards said Singapore was the best and, really, only choice for bright kids---that Saxon was horrible (frankly, the way some described it, you would think it was tantamount to child abuse to use Saxon or to not use Singapore!). Well, we've thankfully switched to Saxon 7/6 and are loving it;). She likes math, has regained her confidence, and homeschooling is much more pleasant now (not a small accomplishment with a tween girl!).

 

This was my experience with the WTM recommended phonics programs as well. Worked great for my girlfriend---nothing but tears here. We switched approaches and it was almost night and day. It just took me a few more years to gain the confidence to apply that lesson to *all* our curricula. There's no magic best curriculum for everyone, and likely not even a "perfect" one for anyone ;). OP, if it's that bad a fit, by all means switch!

 

Lots of folks have had great success with Math Mammoth, with Singapore, with Horizons, with CLE, with Scott Foresman, etc. If you do Singapore, be prepared to add in drill for math facts practice as it's a separate thing in the schools in Singapore from what I've read. We didn't do this (did Earlybird through 4A) and it shows. If you want to figure out whether to use Standards or US edition, here's a side by side comparison I found helpful. http://www.singaporemath.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/SSUSandSTD2009.pdf

[Chris in VA]

I'm a huge Saxon fan, but even I say there are tons of great math programs out there!

Never be afraid to research--know your child's learning style, know your teaching style, and know the "inside" bits about the curriculum you are going to use. Don't ever just flip thru the book, looking at nonessentials like color and format--you can actually change those. Look at the theory, look at the practice, look at how others have used it--

Lots of great stuff about Saxon isn't readily apparent--but sometimes even that great stuff can't be accessed because of attitude, preconceived notions or just plain BAD FIT.

There's nothing wrong with switching.

[ChrissySC]

I am a Saxon user. I just want to mention, we did not use the Saxon Level, 1-3. I used MUS. We moved to Saxon at 54. We stayed with Saxon from this point out, except for Jacob's Geometry, which I added in addition to Algebra II. I know, mean mom. :)

[EKS]

I have Singapore 2A & 2B, but honestly, I don't get how to teach it? Am I missing something in the IG? I have HIG and Student books, is there another piece?

 

There is a book called Elementary Mathematics for Teachers that is very helpful for learning how to teach the "Singapore way." Also, I recommend reading the book Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics by Liping Ma.

 

I absolutely love Singapore math, but there can be a learning curve for learning how to teach it.

[DivaMommy]

I think it all depends on your teaching style and your kids' learning style. We are new to HS, but the one curriculum choice that I know is right for my son is Saxon Algebra 1/2. He doesn't like a cluttered page, loves math, and is fine with repetition. So far, he is doing great with Saxon and likes it so much more than the math textbook they used in his PS last year.

 

So, to each her/his own, I think. There is no one curriculum that works best for every kid all the time (believe me, I know...we are dumping Writing Strands, and looking for a new writing curriculum!).

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to use next!

 

Andrea

[golfcartmama]

Thanks all! I appreciate the support. We're weighing all of the options over the next few days. I also want to look closer at Math Mammoth today!