NikkiMarieLG Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 so my SIL arrives in 3 days... THREE DAYS and there is no subtraction in sight in our Right Start Math.:confused: I mean we have FUN every day and he loves it but how long can one do place value? Thinking of switching. I already supplement with math Mammoth which I like but am confused as to how to go between topics there as well as mine comes as separate topics.:bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiMarieLG Posted December 23, 2011 Author Share Posted December 23, 2011 :lol:she is a math specialist and a third grade teacher.... to explain my panic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsrae Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Please don't panic. Don't make decisions based on what someone else might think. I was an English teacher in my former life, but my eldest Dad does not love to read. I was very worried and embarrassed until I realized it was MY problem, an issue of pride. If you are enjoying it and your son is learning, stick with it. I love RS...it is giving my daughter confidence in math and an excellent foundation in mental math. Dr. Cotter has a great rationale for presenting the topics in the way she does. Have your read the background on the development of RS? But all in all, trust your heart, and don't let a "math expert," even if she is your SIL, ruin your Christmas :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 How old are your kids and what level are they using? I use to teach third grade, and I LOVE Right Start. It is an awesome program that is very much research based. There is a lot of Constructivism embedded into it, which your SIL should be familiar with. Interesting side note, you know the part in the Right Start literature about Asian languages counting ten 1, ten 2, ten 3, etc.? Well I just read about that same research in one of Keith Devlin's books (he's the NPR Math Guy) The Math Instinct, as well as a that really popular book The Outliers. It made me think, "Wow! Go Dr. Cotter!" Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I bet you he would completely understand if you said something like, "8 is 5 and what?" then explain it to him that in subtraction we have the total and part and are finding the other part. With the mental math abilities that RightStart facilitates, it shouldn't be a problem for him to find the other part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Is your SIL going to actually quiz him on math? :confused: My brother and SIL just came for a visit. My brother is a history professor, and my sister is an English professor. Neither of them asked DS1 questions or talked to him at all about their fields of study. My SIL didn't need to know that he's not writing a paragraph on his own in 2nd grade. Why should that matter to her? And I agree that your child (what age?) probably knows "8 is 5 and ___", which IS subtraction. If they can do missing addend, they should be able to do subtraction as well. MM teaches the same thing - addition and missing addends early on, then takes them to subtraction with the actual minus sign. :) As far as doing both programs at once... You could just ignore lining up topics and go straight through both. Sometimes one program will introduce a topic first, and sometimes the other will. Eventually, you might decide that you like one a lot better and drop the other. Or you might keep going with both! Doesn't matter. Meeting your goal at the end is what is important. By the end of elementary math, you should have taught all 4 operations thoroughly. RS does that, right? ;) It's just a different scope and sequence, and if your SIL balks at not doing subtraction yet, you just explain the scope and sequence difference. You're probably doing some higher level addition in this level maybe? Something is taking all that time not spent on subtraction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 If your relative brings up the math, I would just show them the RS books. She can see the scope and sequence for herself. My sister married into a family of public school teachers and they are just vehemently against homeschooling. And they bring it up all. the. time. :glare: It does get tiring. Nothing you can say will change their minds. Forgot to add: Please don't change your math strategy to make other people happy. If you like RS, just keep chugging along with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Is your SIL going to actually quiz him on math? :confused: You should meet my family. All kids get quizzed by my paternal family. It is a normal part of our family gatherings. Beyond that, my kids once got GRILLED by my SIL's uncle and her dad.:confused: When I walked into the room it immediately stopped, but I think they cornered my kids just to see what they knew. I go into all family events assuming there will be quizzes and bracing myself for that.:lol: OP, you pick with the best interests of your kids in mind and ignore all others. RS is a highly respected program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 :lol:she is a math specialist and a third grade teacher.... to explain my panic! I don't care what she is. You are the mom, and that trumps everything else. You don't owe her an explanation. You are not accountable to her. Under no circumstances should you let her decide that what you are doing with your children is good or bad. Not ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 If she mentions it, I would show her the scope and sequence of Right Start. If she doesn't, I wouldn't bring it up myself unless you want her advice on something. Hang in there. I am really interested to see how your SIL reacts to this. Maybe an update on this thread later on? :001_smile: I'm nosy like that sometimes. If your son is learning and understanding math with this program, don't change. It's just a different scope and sequence from other math programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandty Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Is your SIL going to actually quiz him on math? :confused: :lol: Mine does! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallorie Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 You should meet my family. All kids get quizzed by my paternal family. It is a normal part of our family gatherings. Beyond that, my kids once got GRILLED by my SIL's uncle and her dad.:confused: When I walked into the room it immediately stopped, but I think they cornered my kids just to see what they knew. I go into all family events assuming there will be quizzes and bracing myself for that.:lol: OP, you pick with the best interests of your kids in mind and ignore all others. RS is a highly respected program. That is a completely unacceptable violation of boundaries. Not only should you not have to put up with that as a homeschool family, your children should not have to be singled out and put under fire that way. I would put a stop to that right.now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 That is a completely unacceptable violation of boundaries. Not only should you not have to put up with that as a homeschool family, your children should not have to be singled out and put under fire that way. I would put a stop to that right.now. Thanks to an ongoing divorce (she will soon be my ex SIL) it will never again be an issue. That is actually minor compared to some of the boundary issues that family has.:001_huh: My kids were typically never left alone when we were around them for a whole host of reasons. I was disappointed in myself that day for allowing that to happen. Sorry, that is all kinda OT, but I agree. My kids didn't mind, but I knew what was going on and was not okay with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 You should meet my family. All kids get quizzed by my paternal family. It is a normal part of our family gatherings. Beyond that, my kids once got GRILLED by my SIL's uncle and her dad.:confused: When I walked into the room it immediately stopped, but I think they cornered my kids just to see what they knew. I go into all family events assuming there will be quizzes and bracing myself for that.:lol: When my kids were in PS, no one ever asked what they were doing in school. Now that we homeschool, every gathering comes down to a quiz, "What are you learning in school?" Drives me bonkers. I finally broke down and told the family ds's test scores so they'd stop with the questions. But my kids shouldn't have to be performing monkeys trained to spout facts on command. But I've realized I can't win. If dc are above grade level, I need to be careful or they won't be able to talk to kids their own age. If dc are below grade level, I'm hurting them by keeping them at home. I used to wonder why some hs'ers were so sensitive about questions re: homeschooling. Now, I can see why so many get defensive right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 I love it when someone stops over and asks my son "what did you learn today?" No matter what, his response is always, "Nothing!" A proud parent moment! He is not big on conversation unless it is about lego, Mario Bros., or superheroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallorie Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Thanks to an ongoing divorce (she will soon be my ex SIL) it will never again be an issue. That is actually minor compared to some of the boundary issues that family has.:001_huh: My kids were typically never left alone when we were around them for a whole host of reasons. I was disappointed in myself that day for allowing that to happen. Sorry, that is all kinda OT, but I agree. My kids didn't mind, but I knew what was going on and was not okay with it. I'm not without sympathy, my family has all sorts of boundary issues as well. :glare: If you are ever wanting help with establishing some, there is a really good book, appropriately called "Boundaries" by Drs. Cloud and Townsend. As the holidays approach, i've been re-reading my very highlighted and noted copy so I feel a bit more prepared to handle my family. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiMarieLG Posted December 25, 2011 Author Share Posted December 25, 2011 My mom arrived yesterday and had been very ANTI-homeschooling and can't stop raving about how well S is doing so I feel better. You are all right.. just a momentary panic! SIL arrives tomorrow night so we shall see :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Please don't panic. Don't make decisions based on what someone else might think. I was an English teacher in my former life, but my eldest Dad does not love to read. I was very worried and embarrassed until I realized it was MY problem, an issue of pride. If you are enjoying it and your son is learning, stick with it. I love RS...it is giving my daughter confidence in math and an excellent foundation in mental math. Dr. Cotter has a great rationale for presenting the topics in the way she does. Have your read the background on the development of RS? But all in all, trust your heart, and don't let a "math expert," even if she is your SIL, ruin your Christmas :) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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