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Math is going to make me insane


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Okay, so really it's just my 9yo da and his math. The kid drives me nuts!! He can do mental math with relative ease, figures out geometry while he's building stuff, can calculate money at the cash register, but this kid claims he can't do a math worksheet. We are using MUS because I thought the hands on approach would work best. Instead of flying through (he's still on Beta) his pages are covered in doodles, basic addition and subtraction is wrong, and it takes him forever (seriously 1 page can take an hour). He claims he can't add 3421+5643 because there are too many numbers but if I ask him out loud he can figure it out.

He hates math, spends all his time whining about math, and generally being a pain during school time.

What can I do? Does this sounds like some sort of learning disability? Is this normal boy behavior? I'm seriously ready to send him to public school because I'm so worn out fighting with him.

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He claims he can't add 3421+5643 because there are too many numbers but if I ask him out loud he can figure it out.

I would want to rule out vision issues, possibly including developmental ones.

 

Is there a handwriting issue?

 

Other than that, maybe the level is too easy, i.e., very boring.

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He does wear glasses because his eyes hurt when he reads. His hand writing and spelling are atrocious and I fight with him on that as well.

We've tried the graph paper and that didn't help either. He doesn't like the MUS blocks because they are too much of a distraction. However if I word his problems as a word problem he can orally do it. He can't translate the oral to written though.

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He does wear glasses because his eyes hurt when he reads. His hand writing and spelling are atrocious and I fight with him on that as well.

We've tried the graph paper and that didn't help either. He doesn't like the MUS blocks because they are too much of a distraction. However if I word his problems as a word problem he can orally do it. He can't translate the oral to written though.

 

Do the eyes hurt with the glasses on?  With bad handwriting and spelling, I would consider ruling out developmental vision issues with a COVD optometrist.

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Honestly, it sounds like he's bored out of his mind. It could be the format (MUS) or the level.

 

Have you always used MUS?

 

No we switched to MUS this year.  Before that he did Horizons.  I'm honestly tempted to go back to Horizons because they have so much more variety on a page. However, the reason I switched to MUS was because he didn't seem to be retaining the concepts taught.  Maybe he is and all the extra work is just making him irritated.  I really have no idea. :confused1:

 

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Can't you just do it outloud, if that works for him? If you want something written, you could write down the answers he says. I'm not saying there's more to the issue, but I am saying that you might want to go with what works right now to make it less painful for you both. Best of luck!

I agree. Also, see a covd to rule that out.

 

I think it's great that he can do mental math.

 

Good luck.

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Can't you just do it outloud, if that works for him? If you want something written, you could write down the answers he says. I'm not saying there's more to the issue, but I am saying that you might want to go with what works right now to make it less painful for you both. Best of luck!

I agree. Also, see a covd to rule that out.

 

I think it's great that he can do mental math.

 

Good luck.

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He's 9 and still on Beta? I don't know MUS well, but isn't that a 4th grader on a 2nd grade program?

 

There are other hands on approaches that are known for being more mental math focused and conceptual, like Right Start. I agree with others that the issue sounds like it's more about vision than math. I'd move to doing something else for math that would be more enjoyable and challenging and, at least for now, do math verbally if you can.

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I agree about getting an eye exam through a developmental optometrist listed through the COVD but ask around.  Find a reputable one.

 

I also think you may be better off switching to more of a mental math.  Possibly Right Start as others have suggested or Math In Focus (may have to start in 3rd and work forward) or something else along those lines.

 

But for now, I would sit with him, not fighting him, and work small numbers of problems on a dry erase board.  Colored markers, larger body movements for the writing and the numbers will be bigger so less chance that whatever vision issues there are will cause additional stress.  Have him create his own word problems to solve if that interests him.  If the MUS manipulatives are bothering him, maybe try something else.  He may be bored AND have a vision issue AND be missing some basics.  It is definitely possible.

 

You might look at doing something like Beast Academy and/or Zacarro Primary Grade Challenge math to change things up a bit.  Or Life of Fred.  See if that creates some interest while you possibly seek out an eye exam.  Or Khan Academy coupled with one of these....

 

Have you looked at Soror's relaxed math thread? 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/499692-looking-to-do-some-relaxed-math-here-want-to-share-ideas/?hl=+soror%20+relaxed%20+math

 

As for bad handwriting, again that could be vision issues, motor issues, etc.

 

I think you might benefit from reading The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide.  See if anything in there speaks to you.

 

Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner by Kathy Kuhl might help, too.  And you can always hop on the Learning Challenges board to get additional suggestions from women who have BTDT...

 

Hugs.  Good luck and best wishes.

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He's 9 and still on Beta? I don't know MUS well, but isn't that a 4th grader on a 2nd grade program?

 

There are other hands on approaches that are known for being more mental math focused and conceptual, like Right Start. I agree with others that the issue sounds like it's more about vision than math. I'd move to doing something else for math that would be more enjoyable and challenging and, at least for now, do math verbally if you can.

 

It is the 2nd grade program.  That is where he placed on their placement test before I ordered which did seem quite behind (considering what he had done previously) but I figured they knew what they were doing. :)

 

I agree about getting an eye exam through a developmental optometrist listed through the COVD but ask around.  Find a reputable one.

 

I also think you may be better off switching to more of a mental math.  Possibly Right Start as others have suggested or Math In Focus (may have to start in 3rd and work forward) or something else along those lines.

 

But for now, I would sit with him, not fighting him, and work small numbers of problems on a dry erase board.  Colored markers, larger body movements for the writing and the numbers will be bigger so less chance that whatever vision issues there are will cause additional stress.  Have him create his own word problems to solve if that interests him.  If the MUS manipulatives are bothering him, maybe try something else.  He may be bored AND have a vision issue AND be missing some basics.  It is definitely possible.

 

You might look at doing something like Beast Academy and/or Zacarro Primary Grade Challenge math to change things up a bit.  Or Life of Fred.  See if that creates some interest while you possibly seek out an eye exam.  Or Khan Academy coupled with one of these....

 

Have you looked at Soror's relaxed math thread? 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/499692-looking-to-do-some-relaxed-math-here-want-to-share-ideas/?hl=+soror%20+relaxed%20+math

 

As for bad handwriting, again that could be vision issues, motor issues, etc.

 

I think you might benefit from reading The Mislabeled Child by Brock and Fernette Eide.  See if anything in there speaks to you.

 

Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner by Kathy Kuhl might help, too.  And you can always hop on the Learning Challenges board to get additional suggestions from women who have BTDT...

 

Hugs.  Good luck and best wishes.

 

I will try some of  your suggestions.  He loves it when I make up word problems for him.  I hadn't thought about it until the recommendation for the COVD, but if I write only 2 word problems on a page in large writing (think 1st grade size here) then he will work right through it.  Thank you for the book suggestions as well, I will check them out.

 

I appreciate all the advice from everyone. 

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One more thing, don't go by grade levels.  You did absolutely right by giving an assessment test and seeing where to place him based on his abilities not an arbitrarily assigned grade level.  Pushing forward when there are gaps can just create more gaps.  You might end up building his entire math foundation on a house of cards.  No matter what program you end up using, definitely do placement tests from that program and start him wherever he tests into.

 

Another couple of books you might look at:

Overcoming Difficulty with Numbers by Ronit Bird

How the Brain Learns Mathematics by David Sousa

 

HTH...

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You could also look at CTC math. It's an inexpensive online math program so he wouldn't have to write the answers, just type them. It also has a diagnostic test and only moves kids along as they master topics. Each topic has a short lesson to introduce it.

 

IXL would work for online practice. You could do a lesson then assign the corresponding practice set on IXL. My son resists worksheets too and I mix up his workbook work with whiteboard work, math video games, and IXL. It's not my ideal way to do math, but it's a lot better for him.

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I have a 9 yo boy who is just as you describe, but he just started hsing this year. Singapore is our math of choice. He is better with it than with the ps math "attitude wise", but I started him way back on 2A just to build confidence and attempt to get him to like math again. Last week, we started Beast Academy 3A and surprise of all surprises, he likes it alot even though it is very different from anything he has done previously. So, get evals as suggested, don't worry about his placement level, but don't be afraid to try different things either. Or maybe it is just something about 9yo boys. Boys often mature more slowly than girls for example including academically from what I have observed and heard anecdotally so ? I do wish you the best because I know exactly what you are going through! Good luck!

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I'd trust yourself over an online placement test.  It sounds to me like one of the below:

 

1.  A vision problem, tracking problem, or even dysgraphia.  Do the math orally and write it for him, or take turns writing answers or pages.  Get a specialist to key in.

2. The work is far, far, too boring.  Either in level (bump him up a few grade levels) or in presentation (MUS is super basic, maybe choose a wider program like Right Start, Singapore, Beast, ect.) or both.
 

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