My Thoughts on Math

My Mother used to joke that we were not allowed to learn math until we were out of the house.

I have found that often math is a weakness with homeschoolers, but not in the way most people expect. Math is a huge focus in our society. Math proficiency means that you would make a good scientist, doctor, engineer, etc. These professions bring larger pay checks, and so everyone is encouraged and even categorized by their ability to manipulate large sums.

My Mother decided not to focus on math or science. We still studied and learned it, but the real focus in our home was reading and history. I suspect that this happened naturally as a result of my Mother's insecurity in the math department. She was never very confident in it, and after teaching us the basic arithmetic, left it up to us to pursue the subject further. Whenever we were interested in learning more then she could teach us, she would find us a mentor. She tried really hard to find people who loved the subject that she was deficient in. By doing that, she showed us that every subject can indeed be fun. This way of teaching also gave me the confidence that I can learn anything if I wanted to.

I never really had a strong urge to learn mathematics, and was quite happy with my education. Whenever criticized about it, I would simply shrug and say "When I need to learn it, I will." It didn't bother me at all that I was behind in this particular subject. Suddenly, at about 21, I had this intense and focused desire to learn economics and investing. This passion has continued to stay with me, and I continue to devour everything I can on the subject. This focus has led to an unfolding of math in a way I didn't expect, but that I really enjoy.

Another experience that I had with Math came when I was a Mentor at a Charter School. I had to teach math to my students. I taught the Pre-Algebra class, and really enjoyed it. I found that as I read about what I needed to teach them, I actually understood it! Not only that, but as they asked questions, we would learn the language of Mathematics together. My favorite class was when we figured out WHY when you multiply negative numbers the answer is a positive one. Pretty cool.

The real key to successful Homeschooling is to give your child the confidence and tools they need to learn anything they need to. If they leave your home lacking, you know they can make it up. This is done by allowing them to spend most of their time focusing on their strengths. When this happens, children are involved in the passion and excitement of learning, and they gain confidence about their abilities. Then you can give them a few assignments in their weakness, to help them grow, but as long as you don't make it a Big Deal, they will not lose their confidence as they struggle with it.