What do you do when YOU don't understand the material

[LauraGB]

enough to teach it? I'm getting worried here. Math is not my strong point. Or rather, Algebra and Geometry are not my thing. I don't get it, don't like it, don't care to ever understand more than I already do (There, I said it). Obviously, that is not something I care to share w/dc!

 

Every so often, our math curriculum inserts a little algebra and geometry into the deal, and I have to study like crazy the night before to even understand enough to attempt to cover it the next day. For instance, we are figuring the area of an obtuse triangle. I understand the formula, I just don't understand WHY. (Please don't judge me - I'm actually fairly bright ;)). And its not just that...there will certainly be more; like the rest of their mathematical education. I have attempted, starting in my own 7th grade, all the way through high school, and even an algebra class at the college after high school, to understand this part of math, BUT I JUST DON'T.

 

I'm tempted to either give them the teacher's guide and let them do what they will (:001_huh:) or just hire a tutor. Has anyone done this? The only problem is that I don't want to send the message to dc that mom is halfway through her life and didn't need to know this, so why should we.

 

Thoughts, suggestions??

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

You will be refreshing your memory as you teach your children. You are reviewing and relearning for yourself right now. By the time your students are ready for higher courses, you'll be ready to teach them. Also, your students are gaining the ability to learn on their own, so you will not be teaching in the same way. Plus, there are many resources for CD/DVD instruction.

[JennW in SoCal]

When the time comes, hire a tutor! Or get a program that has a DVD teacher, or do both.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not being an expert in a subject, and nothing wrong with admitting it to your kids. By the time they are in high school they will see the need to make it through Algebra and Geometry as the lure of college will motivate them to learn it. And, by that point in their life they will already think you don't know anything, so your lack of higher math skills will just reinforce that perception! Laugh about it, cheer them on and find a tutor. It's not that big a deal.

[Pongo]

And, by that point in their life they will already think you don't know anything, so your lack of higher math skills will just reinforce that perception!/QUOTE]

 

 

:lol::lol::iagree:

[Pongo]

sorry...guess I thought it was so funny I double posted

[cathmom]

hire a math tutor! My son would not have finished math without one.

[Harriet Vane]

When the time comes, hire a tutor! Or get a program that has a DVD teacher, or do both.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with not being an expert in a subject, and nothing wrong with admitting it to your kids. By the time they are in high school they will see the need to make it through Algebra and Geometry as the lure of college will motivate them to learn it. And, by that point in their life they will already think you don't know anything, so your lack of higher math skills will just reinforce that perception! Laugh about it, cheer them on and find a tutor. It's not that big a deal.

 

I agree. No one expects you to be the expert on everything. A good tutor who really understands the material is worth their weight in gold. It could be a regularly scheduled event, or it could be a we'll-call-you-when-we-need-you (if the tutor is amenable to that). The life lesson here is for your child to seek help and expertise where appropriate--it doesn't matter HOW the material is learned as long as it is ultimately mastered one way or the other.

[sagira]

I feel the same way. Confession time: I actually failed college algebra THREE times (yes, ladies) in college. I took Finite Math instead and aced it, with the help of a kindly teacher who finally believed in me. The other two teachers didn't care, and one actually told me, "Some people can do math and others just can't." Which further discouraged me.

 

Yes, my strategies are to use a text-based combined with a video program as math progresses and leaves me behind (we'll see, I may be up for it now, who knows?) and if ds is like me, hiring someone who loves mathematics and is able to convey it in simple terms. Perhaps a math major.

 

Right now we're doing great with MCP, but hey, ds is on Level K :tongue_smilie:

[Karen in CO]

I made it through a few semesters of college calculus before I decided that I had had enough math. I can do algebra and geometry. I can even do trig and some calculus, but I can't teach it. I learned this when my ds started algebra. Even knowing how to do it and having a few teacher's guides and solutions manuals didn't get me to understanding it well enough to explain something to my ds when he didn't get it. If he didn't understand it the way I explained it or the way it was explained in the book, then we were stuck.

 

It was terrible, and I felt like a failure. We tried several math programs, but none compensated for the lack of an actual math teacher. My brother teaches high school math, and he saved us. We switched to a dvd program with a good textbook and a good solutions manual. My brother helped as a phone-a-teacher. When we needed an explanation or a better discussion, he was there.

 

I think when my girls get ready for algebra, I just might send them to my brother for the summer. Either that or get a once-a-week tutor.

 

You don't have to know everything to homeschool your kids, but math is important. Find a good program that your kids can learn from that has good explanations, work with them. Have an option ready if you need more explanations. A live person that can see where the student is stuck in understanding and help to move him along can save a math class.

[Colleen in NS]

Or rather, Algebra and Geometry are not my thing. I don't get it, don't like it, don't care to ever understand more than I already do (There, I said it). Obviously, that is not something I care to share w/dc!

 

I understand the formula, I just don't understand WHY. (Please don't judge me - I'm actually fairly bright ;)). And its not just that...there will certainly be more; like the rest of their mathematical education. I have attempted, starting in my own 7th grade, all the way through high school, and even an algebra class at the college after high school, to understand this part of math, BUT I JUST DON'T.

 

The only problem is that I don't want to send the message to dc that mom is halfway through her life and didn't need to know this, so why should we.

 

Yes, you could hire a tutor and that's nothing to feel guilty about. And I do have a friend who handed her 15 year old the Calculus book and let her figure it out, with occasional help from her engineer father.

 

However, I see a value in studying ahead in skills I don't have, besides learning to teach my kids. It's forcing me to learn to think clearly, because I never learned to do this when I was younger, even though I did pretty well in algebra and geometry (bombed out of pre-cal, though). I keep that same message in my mind - I don't want to send the message to my kids that if I made it to 40 without learning this stuff (for me, Latin, writing, and grammar skills), they don't need to, either. *I* can see why these things would have been useful in my life, but they can't see that for themselves yet. So I'm trying to model it. They roll their eyes when I get excited about discovering a Latin root in an English word, but I know it shows them that Mom is serious about teaching herself new skills, and that they have great value. And they esp. think it's great that the skills come easier to them because they are younger than Mom.

 

Would you hate algebra and geometry so much if you understood the WHYs? If not, there are a myriad of programs out there that teach differently, and maybe one of them will click with you, so that you CAN learn it and ENJOY learning it. Your kids are only 9 and you have some time ahead of you before you have to really dig into algebra (and I'm wondering why a math curric. for a 9yo has elements of algebra in it) - you could start a program very slowly if you found one you liked and was understandable to you.

 

Even though I made it through alg. 2, I KNOW I'm going to have to start from scratch and it's just a few years away - I'm starting to freak, but I know that it's one step at a time. I just keep plugging away, trying to stay ahead of my oldest child on skills work.

 

Everyone is different and there's nothing wrong with hiring a tutor. I just wondered from some things you said, if you were secretly hoping for some encouragement to start a self-study and CONQUER mathematics (or at least algebra and geometry). :)

[SBP]

I've already decided that fifth grade is as far as I go teaching math. My current plan is to switch my son to Chalkdust next year, and my DD the year after that. I will probably sit there with him to watch the lessons, both to make sure he's paying attention and because I'd really like to understand sixth grade math myself!

 

I tell my kids all the time that I'm trying hard to give them a better education than I had. That would be my answer to them if they suggested that I was doing fine without proficiency in the higher maths. :)

 

Best,

 

SBP

[LauraGB]

Thanks for the input (and the encouragement!). I have tried to understand algebra - geometry, I sort of understood (20 years ago). It drove me insane that I didn't "get it" when I was younger, and I tried desperately to do so. I'm no longer in that place ;), perfectly content to not "get it". However, that part is for me...now, about those kids...

 

We really like Singapore a lot. We've not needed to consider using any thing else so far. We are working in 5A, and all through these past couple books, they will insert some algebra and geometry, usually no big deal, then move on to things I am more comfortable. I think the most difficult so far, which was not really difficult at all, was the introduction of order of operations. I understand why they do it - it introduces another way of thinking of the problems and slowly eases them into the ultimate shift. Its cool and my kids do not have a problem w/it. The worst part is that once I get through this minor "insertion" of about 3 exercises, we move on to ratio and things I "get". So, to hire a tutor now is silly. However, I am completely aware that I will have to do something soon enough, so...

 

Those of you who have hired a tutor - did you leave all the math instruction to said tutor? Or did you contract them for help only when the going got rough? Who did you get - a college student, high school student, member of your hs group?

 

Those of you who suggested a DVD course - Have you done this with success, and which one did you choose? Did you have to toss the old math program all together or were you able to just supplement?

 

Thanks,

[Jann in TX]

I have 3 types of students:

 

1. Occasional appointments when help is needed.

 

2. Regular appointments to ask me specific questions about their homework (assigned by teacher or parent).

 

3. Regular appointments where I present the lesson, assign homework, grade tests (give final grade) and answer questions.

 

Tutoring does NOT have to be expensive. There are lots of math-loving people like me who do not charge much (I charge 10-15 an hour).

 

Since moving out to the boonies I tutor online using a white board interface and telephone for voice (for students without high-speed internet we just use the phone). When I lived in a big city I tutored out of my home--and occasionally in a student's home.

 

I have posted signs at libraries and have placed adds in the paper. Most of my business comes from referrals.

 

I 'could' charge more--but I do not want to charge more that I could afford to pay!

[WTMindy]

enough to teach it? I'm getting worried here. Math is not my strong point. Or rather, Algebra and Geometry are not my thing. I don't get it, don't like it, don't care to ever understand more than I already do (There, I said it). Obviously, that is not something I care to share w/dc!

 

Every so often, our math curriculum inserts a little algebra and geometry into the deal, and I have to study like crazy the night before to even understand enough to attempt to cover it the next day. For instance, we are figuring the area of an obtuse triangle. I understand the formula, I just don't understand WHY. (Please don't judge me - I'm actually fairly bright ;)). And its not just that...there will certainly be more; like the rest of their mathematical education. I have attempted, starting in my own 7th grade, all the way through high school, and even an algebra class at the college after high school, to understand this part of math, BUT I JUST DON'T.

 

I'm tempted to either give them the teacher's guide and let them do what they will (:001_huh:) or just hire a tutor. Has anyone done this? The only problem is that I don't want to send the message to dc that mom is halfway through her life and didn't need to know this, so why should we.

 

Thoughts, suggestions??

 

I would really recommend going with a tutor rather than turning over the answer book to them. There are kids who do OK with that method, but I work with so many kids who have been there and they do not have a good understanding of mathematical concepts. If you can afford it, it is better to go with a tutor. I think it is important as homeschool teachers to know our own limitations and know when to get outside help from experts. We do our kids a disservice (I think) when we try to do more than we can handle. Of course, there are some kids who will do just fine with this method.

[elegantlion]

I'm working to self-educate and re-educate myself in upper level math before ds gets there. If I reach panic stage I'm going to go the DVD route without shame.

[Jenny in Florida]

I hung on through algebra with my daughter, by which point she was saying she hated math. I suspect (something about which I carry much guilt) that this is because she found it so frustrating to try and learn from someone who not only didn't really get it but disliked it. For geometry, we enrolled her in a class with Florida Virtual School, and it made all the difference. Things went downhill again the following year with algebra II, but at least she no longer thought it was her fault.

 

I learned my lesson. And the minute my son and I started having tension about math, I enrolled him in the FLVS middle school math course. He has now finished that sequence, and we're working together through the University of California open access algebra course. The funny thing is that, for the first time, I actually GET IT! There's something about the way this course is written that actually makes sense to me. So, we're doing fine.

[Stacy in NJ]

My oldest son is math strong and is already a better math student than I. I sit with him and do the work right along with him. We're study partners. :001_smile:

 

My younger son will definately benefit from my extra pass through in basic math, algebra and geometry. I do think that once we hit Algebra II, I'll hand him over to either the commmunity college or a tutor.

[Hoggirl]

If you buy new, technical assistance is provided. All. year. long. It is super-duper. I was a pretty good math student and had Calculus in college, but it has been a looooong time. Professor Mosely is THE BEST. He usually responds to questions within an hour or two! I am still involved, but only tangentially.

[sweetbaby]

It had been years since I had taken Algebra in college so last year I had some stumped moments with my highschooler. A book that I highly recommend is Algebra Survival Guide. It is published by Singing Turtle Press but you can find it at Rainbow Resource with the student workbook also. We didn't spend over $25 for the book and workbook. It's a softcover text with little quizzes after each chapter. It's written in a conversational tone and very "teenagery" pics and language. My son loved it.

 

When I hit a wall, I study up and look to resources just as I did in college.

I just returned from Books A Million a few minutes ago because I had to purchase a Chemistry guide to help explain certain points about radicals, etc to my highschooler. It's been over 14 years since I had Chemistry in college! This book was highly recommended and looks great so I'm hoping it will renew things for me.

 

But if all else fails, get a tutor.

[Peela]

My dd is 14 and only lately (the last 10 months actually) have I not been able to help her with everything. However, most of the time, she slogs through it until she understands it herself. Sometimes we have asked a young friend, a math whizz only a few years out of school, to come by and help her- and me- understand something.

I think you have several possibilities. Choose self teaching programs and train them to literally teach themselves. The Robinson method uses Saxon and if the kid doesn't understand something, they keep going until they do- themselves. Other programs like Teaching Textbooks really teach the student and have an aural and visual component. I can understand my son's math at his level, and I can explain it, buy we have such a personality clash over it that he just cant hear me- he argues with me- and then feels stupid- so I changed him recently to an online program (Australian) that has a voice component, and teaches the student- and maths is now his favourite subject. Aleks is a U.S. online maths program. So, there are lots out there.

Another possibility is to choose a tutor.

And of course, you can just use the opportunity to learn maths yourself. Often, us women formed an identity that we couldnt do maths quite young, and it is more our belief in ourself than our lack of ability. Your kids will pick up on you whether you try to hide it or not. Its ok that you "cant" do math but you expect them to. After a whiel they may even be proud that they can do more than you. Having the answer book- and in particular a solutions manual- has been a great help to me over the years, with all sorts of subjects- without me having to take the time to learn it myself.

 

I do not help dd14 any more. It's all her now....and we touch base on it regularly- she tells me how she is going. She knows if she gets really stuck, we can ask for help from the friend, and if it just overall gets too much, we will either get a tutor, change to an online program, or, re-evaluate how much maths she is going to need anyway and stop!

[cathmom]

I can handle math. It's just that we had a weird dynamic going on. When ds was in high school, I was having the twins and I was so busy. He would have a problem understanding something and bring it to me. I would have to sit and figure out what Saxon was trying to teach him, and then I would have to try to figure out what he didn't understand. He would be frustrated and annoyed and I would get annoyed also. So he started just not telling me when he didn't understand and math was stalled.

 

Then my mom told me she would pay for a tutor. Ds had friend who was ahead of him in Saxon, so we arranged for them to meet and his friend to tutor him, which worked for a while. Then the friend moved away, and we looked on craigslist and found another math tutor. She actually was a young math teacher at a charter school. Last summer they meet 2x a week for 2 hours at a time and finished Algebra 2 and Advanced Math. All I did was drive him there and grade his tests. It was wonderful! I believe we paid her $25 an hour.