Michelle in MO Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 My oldest and I have been truding through one section of Chalkdust Geometry---11.4, to be exact. It's been very tough for both her and I. We've spent four days on this one section, compared to our normal 2 days per section. So, I woke up early this morning and have been working through the problems, trying to figure them out. I had the oldest check her work on a few, and found out that she was able to clearly explain what she had done much more quickly than I could figure out, even with the assistance of the book. :rolleyes: I think she's starting to get this down! Sometimes all I think my kids have been missing is a really adept math teacher! Can I pass on the torch?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Sometimes all I think my kids have been missing is a really adept math teacher! Michelle, You rock! Your daughter must have your drive :auto: But I know what you mean. Thankfully my dh does the nitty gritty of math. I check answers but that is the extent of it. I'm re-learning everything as I go. Keep up the good work :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtsmamtj Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Oh, yes!!! I am thankful my husband can fill in the holes in math (especially science math - ugh!!) T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I think she's starting to get this down! Sometimes all I think my kids have been missing is a really adept math teacher! Can I pass on the torch?? My oldest is way beyond me!! I had to laugh at the last part of your post though. Our ds is taking differential equations this summer and comes home from class every day talking about how stupid his math teacher is and that he shouldn't go to class and just use the textbook. Apparently 3 days in a row she has either solved a problem incorrectly on the board and he has told her what she has done wrong or she has given them problems to solve which have no solution. Yesterday he said that he solved a problem 2 different ways and could not get a solution. He said he told her that there wasn't a solution to which she insisted there was. After the rest of the class came to the same conclusion as ds, she said.....oh, I must have messed up somewhere!! Oh please!!! The sad thing is that since we moved, we are having to pay out of state tuition for this class!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Or perhaps it is this way around - your daughter is doing better than you because she has had better math instruction than you have, and that contrary to holding her back, you are pushing her along ahead of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Michelle if you made it to 11.4 in Chalkdust Geometry without your dd figuring things out before you then you are way smarter & quicker than me. Go girl! I can't even remember how long my dd has done this, she's very respectful about it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted May 24, 2008 Author Share Posted May 24, 2008 My oldest is way beyond me!! I had to laugh at the last part of your post though. Our ds is taking differential equations this summer and comes home from class every day talking about how stupid his math teacher is and that he shouldn't go to class and just use the textbook. If that ever happens to our family, I'll know something clicked with math! Congratulations on being a great math teacher for your ds! Differential equations--wow! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 My 10YO is getting Latin far easier than me. It's going to soon be a problem. :( Part of the problem is that he is content to read the lesson quickly and absorb what he can naturally, while I want to analyze, diagram, and double check. In other words, I need more time, but I'm learning it more fully. Nonetheless, the old school marm is holding back the young whippersnapper. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenschooler Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Or perhaps it is this way around - your daughter is doing better than you because she has had better math instruction than you have, and that contrary to holding her back, you are pushing her along ahead of you. I like this explanation, Nan. We've got the same thing going on here. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted May 24, 2008 Author Share Posted May 24, 2008 Michelle if you made it to 11.4 in Chalkdust Geometry without your dd figuring things out before you then you are way smarter & quicker than me. Go girl! I can't even remember how long my dd has done this, she's very respectful about it though. but actually she took a nose-dive in Chapter 8 on Similarities. She took the test twice---and failed twice. I e-mailed Dana Mosely and he recommended moving on and returning to that chapter later. So, then I finally started listening to the lessons and taking my own notes. I found out then a few things that needed correction: 1. I listen to the DVD lesson once; dd listens to it twice the first day: once to just listen, and once to take notes. 2. I try to work through some of the problems on my own. This is where I found out that I must politely disagree with Chalkdust's recommendations to have your dc do every third or fourth problem. Although the Lial's books are set up to do every other problem (and I had been having dd do every other problem), it doesn't seem like the Larson text is set up the same way. Many of the problem sets are dependent upon each other. I have dd do all of them, except the Exploration and Extension problems and the ones that involve paper folding. 3. Then, when I correct her work, I know whether or not she's taking shortcuts, as she's famous for those. :rolleyes: This has helped increase her success, but 11.4 has really stumped us---trig. combined with geometry. Whoa! It's been a LONG time since I've tackled this type of thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Not necessarily smarter, just younger. Math is really a young person's area. Most mathematical break throughs are done by the time a mathematician is in their early 20s. Has to do with the brain flexibility in youth, I think. Physics break throughs are usually done by the time a Physicist is 30. Now logic, economics, etc are usually the products of older, more mature brains. You don't see child prodigies in those areas. But good for her, and I do agree with Nan about your teaching ability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Can I pass on the torch?? Around here passing the torch has meant a world of difference in my son's math and Latin education. With the former, having a teacher who loves the subject as much as he does has been incredibly beneficial to him. Math scares me a bit, and he deserves so much more than I can give him. And though I love Latin, I don't have the hours to dedicate to the type of study I would need to do to continue teaching him and help him reach his goals before high school is out. My own study of Latin is quite slow, so he needs someone who already knows the language and can move him along at the proper pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Or perhaps it is this way around - your daughter is doing better than you because she has had better math instruction than you have, and that contrary to holding her back, you are pushing her along ahead of you. What a great way of looking at things! I like it. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in TN Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 This thread reminds me of the time my dd was taking practice tests for the SAT. One of the math problems covered a topic that I didn't recall having studied, yet my dd got the right answer. I was determined not to let her get the best of me, so I spent probably an hour trying to work that problem. I approached it from one angle after another, but I couldn't figure it out. Stumped, I finally asked dd how she had arrived at her answer. She just guessed. Sometimes you get a lucky break on a multiple-choice test ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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