Math help...maybe Mr. D Math....other suggestions welcomed...

[Alice]

I’m trying to figure out what to do for Math for my current sophomore. 

Background: He is a bright kid but doesn’t like Math. He has ADHD and find it boring and so gets distracted. My goal for him is to get through PreCalc or possibly Algebra II and then Stats. I see him as wanting to go to college and I think he needs four years of Math for most colleges. He is not a kid who will be looking at highly selective schools and his transcript as a whole is going to embrace the nontraditional perks of homeschooling. He may want to do something like Environemental Science or Psych and he’ll need some math for those. He has the ability and I think frankly would learn it quickly when he saw that there was a purpose. Right now it’s hard for him to get excited about Geometry when he just has no interest and can’t see why he has to learn it. 

He’s doing Derek Owens. He did DO for Algebra and it was a good fit, especially to get me out of the equation (pun intended). He did well in the class but did it slowly, over about a year and a half. My goal was for him to truly understand it rather than try and rush through and finish. He started Geometry second semester of freshman year and is doing it incredibly slowly. He’s doing fine (has an A average) but I can’t see him finishing it this year at his current pace. I cannot imagine trying to push him to do Math in the summer to “catch up” (I know there are arguments for this but he’s a kid who you have to know what battles to pick and that is not one I am willing to fight). 

He did take the SAT last year in the fall as a 9th grader after only having not quite one year of Algebra and no Geometry and did reasonably well. Not great, but ok considering where he was and that he didn’t want to get accommodations for more time and so probably didn’t finish any section (in his words...”you want me to sit there and try and take a test for LONGER...are you nuts?”)

Current thoughts:

-Continue with what we are doing and just let him go slow. I could provide more scaffolding and be more on top of him about requiring a certain amount done each day. For the most part, I’ve let him work at his own pace because I’ve learned that when I push for a certain amount of time he doesn’t necessarily learn it  if he’s not focused. If I do this we’ll need to figure out what to do if he doesn’t finish this year. 

-Switch to something else. We’ve essentially paid for this year with DO but I’m willing to switch. One thing I had heard about was Mr. D- I don’t know a lot about it but my feeling is that maybe it’s easier and we could just get it done. I saw in particular that he offers a one semester course that counts for the full year....has anyone done that? I’m thinking about that for second semester. We’re obviously too late for the full year live class but I think he has an online option or the one semester option. I know that might sound weird since speed has been an issue but I think he might do better if he has someone else saying that he has work required at certain times. Part of the attractiveness and perhaps problem with DO is the self-paced nature. I also wonder if the live classes might appeal to him more than the videos from DO. 

-Switch to something else I haven’t thought of yet...ideas? 

 

 

 

[Miss Tick]

I don't see much advantage in switching from one self-paced provider to another.

When we have picked up the pace with DO we did it by watching the videos during math time and doing the homework later in the day, as if it were a regular in-person class. Another thing we've done is instituted a default math time on the weekends. It is like having another math period in the week, but we call it homework.

Technically there is a third strategy, more passive-aggressive, which is to have his sisters start doing DO and not only ace the class(es) but also beat the schedule showing, subtly, that it can be done. Might not be an option for your family.

I think your best bet is to have a sit-down to align your goals. You two probably need to meet in the middle somewhere and then plan out the schedule and stick to it. One option to consider would be to do Geometry and Algebra 2 at the same time, alternating work days. This might help if it is Geometry that he is finding to be a drag. My dd did this. She was finding Mr D Geometry to not be challenging enough to fill her week, so she started on DO Algebra 2. I wonder if your ds could do the reverse next year. He could do a live Algebra 2 class with Mr D and if he still has Geometry to finish up do it on the side. That might also give him some incentive to work through it at a faster pace, or put in some time over the summer, especially if you have the discussion now when all that feels so far off.

[Alice]

On 10/22/2021 at 5:27 PM, SusanC said:

I don't see much advantage in switching from one self-paced provider to another.

When we have picked up the pace with DO we did it by watching the videos during math time and doing the homework later in the day, as if it were a regular in-person class. Another thing we've done is instituted a default math time on the weekends. It is like having another math period in the week, but we call it homework.

Technically there is a third strategy, more passive-aggressive, which is to have his sisters start doing DO and not only ace the class(es) but also beat the schedule showing, subtly, that it can be done. Might not be an option for your family.

I think your best bet is to have a sit-down to align your goals. You two probably need to meet in the middle somewhere and then plan out the schedule and stick to it. One option to consider would be to do Geometry and Algebra 2 at the same time, alternating work days. This might help if it is Geometry that he is finding to be a drag. My dd did this. She was finding Mr D Geometry to not be challenging enough to fill her week, so she started on DO Algebra 2. I wonder if your ds could do the reverse next year. He could do a live Algebra 2 class with Mr D and if he still has Geometry to finish up do it on the side. That might also give him some incentive to work through it at a faster pace, or put in some time over the summer, especially if you have the discussion now when all that feels so far off.

Thanks, Susan. Yes, I agree...I plan on sitting down with him this week to talk about what the issues are and what he would like to do. Your suggestions are helpful. I especially like the doubling up on Algebra 2/Geometry if needed to finish out. I hadn’t really thought of that as a option. 

 

[Miss Tick]

It's frustratingly easy to feel backed into the position where you need to spend the midst time on the subject they like the least. I hope you are able to find a mutually acceptable escape plan!