FORGOT math once learned... ever wanna just SNAP?

[specialmama]

dd (age 10) woke up yesterday and *completely* forgot how to divide. We've been doing division all. year. long. And now it's like blank stares... the deer in headlight syndrome. So we packed the books away yesterday and spent over 3 or 4 hours playing fun math games and going over it together, in an easy, comfy fashion. I was hoping that she'd wake up today remembering things, hoping that yesterday was just an off day. Nope. She completely forgets everything about division. Everything. :confused: I'm getting questions like, what do I do, multipy? Do I add these? :001_huh:

 

So what did I do today? I put the books away, told her to get dressed, that I'm taking her to school. She cried, I yelled, she ran to her room crying. I'm sitting here online, not really caring to get up and fix this. I feel like such a bad mommy right now. This Charlotte Mason and motherly side of me is just livid. I can't believe I can be so calous and possibly cause harm to her security. She's like uber sensitive, and she's been in school before, she doesn't want to go back. It's kind of akin to telling someone they're going for a root cannal when the dentist didn't freeze them last time.

 

I don't want to hit "submit thread" because I'm posting some crazily private things here, and I'm going to be totally open for judgements... but I need to know that others have experienced this and have survived... and maybe someone out there is having a similar day today. Maybe we can share a cyber-tub of Ben & Jerry's...

[nevergiveup]

Yep. Wanted to and have snapped. My son temporarily forgot how to add today and he is almost 14. He is dyslexic and has attention problems and from what I read about it all, this is very common. Sometimes there are certain times of the day that his brain is just not functioning properly. It is very frustrating, but in his case, I know it is in there somewhere.

 

So, no real advice here, just know that what you are experiencing is not at all uncommon.

[specialmama]

:001_smile: Well, when I saw that there was a response, and your username was "nevergiveup" I just had to chuckle. How appropriate! Thanks! Good to know I'm not alone!

[Plucky]

Yes, this has happened here. It's very demoralizing. If I'm not up to it we'll put math to the side and do it another day. I've found that when the kiddo is balking and mom is not fresh and patient, learning doesn't happen. I'll still try to push through but if it's one of those days it's one of those days. Oy.

[unsinkable]

:grouphug:

 

I fall short of who I want to be all the time. You're not alone.

 

Your dd might be coming down w/an illness. It could be a poor night's sleep. It could be too much/not enough of anything. KWIM?

 

Go say you're sorry. Hug & kiss. Love her.

 

Division will come. Set it down for a while. Pick it back up next week.

[Emmy]

I will hold your hand and admit that I've threatened sending mine back to school. I'm not proud of it but my oldest pushes me to the end sometimes. Go apologize, assure her that you are not sending her to school, explain why you were frustrated and then spend some time together. Pick up division in a few days but make sure you are rested and ready to walk her through it step by step all over again.

[sassenach]

I had to spend 2 months completely reteaching multiplication one year. It was like a black hole had formed in dd's brain. It was extremely discouraging. You are not alone!!

[Greta]

You're definitely not alone. I have done this. I hope I never do it again! But yeah, I've done it. Give her a sincere apology and a hug, once you're feeling like you're "there", and don't beat yourself up. You haven't done any damage that can't be undone!

 

Do you like Cherry Garcia?

Edited April 15, 2009 by GretaLynne

[Surfside Academy]

So it's not just my son?? I dread picking up math again after a break (like these past 2 weeks.) The blank stares, as if I'm speaking in an entirely different language drive me crazy. I get frustrated then go to the old standby...say the instructions LOUDER so there's a chance he'll suddenly remember the material again! :D

[newlifemom]

So it's not just my son?? I dread picking up math again after a break (like these past 2 weeks.) The blank stares, as if I'm speaking in an entirely different language drive me crazy. I get frustrated then go to the old standby...say the instructions LOUDER so there's a chance he'll suddenly remember the material again! :D

 

 

:lol::001_huh::lol:

I do the same thing.

[LaxMom]

Yep, we have the same problem. Both of them. My 8 y.o. (who is vastly entertained by a worksheet of FOIL method) is doing division. She knows how to divide. You know what she doesn't know? How to add. Or subtract. :001_huh:

 

And yes, I too fail to measure up as the mother I wish to be during these sessions.

 

We all just slog out of the mud hole, squeegee our pantlegs off as best we can, and continue down our road. Eventually, the residue will dry up and fall off. :001_smile:

[Maria/ME]

...I was thinking that there was a post not too far back on here about math (either that or I was talking to a RL mom...) and some times...at this age...the brain is doing so much, thinking of so much, that retention isn't a priority. My dd does this too. Particularly with math. It's as if we totally didn't learn the day before. NOTHING is remembered.

 

This gets me into the thought of HOW our society teaches math. UGH. But that's another story....but I do think it's a link.

 

I've lost it, too.We've both cried. I haven't threatened school, but we talk about what public school is like ALOT. It's a reminder to appreciate what she has. On the other hand, cut yourselves some slack. Your child is not purposely forgetting. It probably frustrates him too!

 

One day, I felt the frustration coming on, saw tears welling in her eyes and said..."let's go outside"...that break did wonders! It wasn't necessarily easier when we came back, but our attitude was different!

 

Hang in there...

[specialmama]

:hurray: Ya'll are great! I do feel better now, thank you for your encouraging words and your stories. I ended up taking her out for lunch, and we sat and chatted over french fries and gravy. I told her I was sorry, and that it's okay that she forgot some things. That's the beauty of homeschooling, that we can take a step back and re-visit it. In school, the class would just move ahead without you. I know she understands because she said "oh, it's like building a pyramid. You need certain blocks down firm, so the ones that come after don't fall." CHA-CHING! :D So at least she sees the value in retaining the information. I really thought she had the idea that once a worksheet on measurement was over, that's it, delete it from the memory bank because you'll never need it again! I keep telling her that no matter what she does as an adult, she will need the basic operations down pat. I think she understood that a bit more today. I'm just glad we cleared the air, and she still thinks I'm a good mom! :D

 

Thanks again, ladies! I may be referring back to this post in the days/weeks to come... not months to come...right? :tongue_smilie:

 

P.S.: I do love Cherry Garcia, and I got me a spoon!

[Impish]

I so totally get you. Diva was having another math day herself to go along with your dd's. I don't know what's in the city water these last 2 days...:glare:

 

Diva forgot how to manage to add and subract fractions...the whole find the common denominator thing, and then put the answer in the lowest form. I thought for sure I was gonna rupture something.

:banghead:

[KRG]

It happened here this week, too. It was division of decimals that he has whizzed right thru all week and today it was like a foreign language. I thought my child was the only one that did this. Wonder where this black hole of Math is located?? ;)

[Cricket]

Today I would be thrilled if J woke up having lost the ability to understand basic word problems because that would mean that at some point in history he actually understood them to begin with. No such luck.:glare: He just sees numbers in the problem, applies a random operation to some or all of them and he's done. We have been working on this since October with no progress.

 

:lol: Sometimes it is so frustrating you have to laugh. We had one of those days today. Ds is going through a review lesson. He wrote down that 6 cups of coffee at $0.65 each would cost $36.30. I'm grateful that at least he knew he was supposed to multiply to find the answer! He is very random too in the method he uses to find the answer. I encourage him to draw pictures on paper if he has to in order to help him figure out what he is supposed to do. He was very frustrated earlier when he had to figure out how many pieces of cake (a cake that had been divided into 16 equal pieces) would equal 3/8 of the cake. He kept wanting to change the 3/8 to 3/16. He likes to randomly change numbers in the problem to make it easier. I keep trying to explain that he can change the numbers, he just has to do it the right way.

 

Specialmama, I've had days where I have lost it over math! I think it is great that you took your dd out for lunch and talked it over. I've had to do that too!

[Rhonda in TX]

Sometimes I just want to shake them! A funny story... About a year ago, DS was working on his math in another room and was obviously frustrated because he couldn't remember his basic multiplication facts. All of a sudden he yelled, "5!...Times!...4!" There was a pause, then he said, in a normal tone of voice, "Oh, wait. Never mind." I just had to laugh.

[Tree House Academy]

Sad to say that I am right there with ya. Mine is not math facts or the kids forgetting things (though it can be irritating to tell my 5 year old who can read at a 3rd grade level to "sound out" a word he doesn't know and hear him suddenly go blank at what letters say!), but my older son is ADHD with an attitude and boy, can we sure go head to head sometimes. It is nauseating really. Some days I feel like he would be HAPPIER if I carted him off to public school. Then I come here and type and read and calm myself and I manage to remember all the reasons I love teaching him at home. Some days, I am at the computer for a.long.time. LOL

[unsinkable]

It happened here this week, too. It was division of decimals that he has whizzed right thru all week and today it was like a foreign language. I thought my child was the only one that did this. Wonder where this black hole of Math is located?? ;)

 

 

I have a feeling it is in the same neighborhood as the unmatched socks and the coupons/gift certificates for free food that I can never find when I need them.