This is what it is all about

This is an entry I posted on the SDA Homeschool blog site.


My son has a thing about math. No, really, he does. I can’t say it is a hate-hate relationship, but it certainly was a bigger struggle to understand all those concepts than, say, English or history or social studies.

If only I could do my son’s early homeschool years over…and wait on introducing formal math to him until he was a couple years older…(big sigh)… Oh, well. What is done, is done, so I need to make the best of it.

Through the years we spent a lot of time on various math methods, including the traditional flash cards and the not-so-traditional Life of Fred books. We used Khan Academy and Virtual Nerd, all in an effort to help Marc master those vital concepts. The hard work paid off, and Marc’s test scores crept upward year by year.

By Marc’s sixth-grade year, he was doing a non-traditional pre-Algebra program from Life of Fred. In seventh grade, he began the Life of Fred Algebra book, but soon hit a wall. We backed up and repeated a chapter. No luck.

We moved to Khan Academy, but discovered their website to be in the midst of reorganization and found their record keeping very confusing. We quickly decided to move on.

I dug out an older, more traditional pre-Algebra book from AGS. I had used this book with a student I tutored previously, and now gave it to Marc. Together, we decided on a good place to start. From that point on, Marc progressed well.

In eighth grade, we ordered the Algebra book from AGS, and again, he did very well.

So now, it came time to consider ninth-grade options. As I was preparing to enroll him at NorthStar Academy, we looked through the course catalog. “Mom,” my son told me, “I think I want to do Algebra again.”

What!?!?!  B-B-But…

Let me tell you, that threw me for a loop. I had bent over backward all these years to help my son realize his potential with math, and now he’s telling me I wasn’t successful? For a moment, I felt hurt and defeated.

But, only for a very brief moment.

Then, I got my wits about me and decided that instead of feeling defeated, I should be encouraged, even joyful. Isn’t that what homeschooling is all about? Isn't it about my son or my daughter recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and asking for help in areas where they need assistance?

I gave my son a hug and asked him, “Do you feel you need more algebra?” He admitted he felt like he was on the foundation of math, but it was wet and slippery. “I want to make sure my foundation is firm,” he admitted.

We looked through NSA’s catalog and discovered they offered "Honors Algebra.  “What if you take 'Honors Algebra'?” I asked him. Not only would it look good on his transcript, but would deepen his study and foundation. Marc agreed.

Today, not only has Marc completed "Honors Algebra," but also "Honors Geometry," and is currently working on "Honors Algebra II."

The lesson I learned that day is that homeschooling is not about me making my children successful, it is about my children knowing themselves well enough that they know when they need additional assistance in some areas of their schooling.