Mt. Pleasant Classical Academy

Finally we had our first full week of school. Actually it included our first full day of school too. I haven’t been much in the mood to post about it either. It just seems strange to have such a late start but that’s life. We had other life happenings take place.

This year MilitaryKid is in 6th grade. Meaningless, grades are, really, but I posted that so everyone would have an idea. Last spring in math I didn’t care for where he was. Mentally where he was with math. Oh sure, he finished his Singapore 5B book but I had been noticing for some time that unless I led him through every problem he really didn’t have a clue how to work them. He absolutely couldn’t do the Revision sections on his own which was a huge red flag for me too. This prompted me to print off Singapore placement tests for 3rd through 5th grade. He did fine on the 3rd grade test but the 4th grade one totally stumped him. I had MK take another popular math placement test which also showed that he didn’t understand fractions, changing fractions to decimals or decimals to fractions.

Immediately I ordered in a fresh copy of Singapore’s 4th and 5th grade workbooks. When we were at my Dad’s caring for him in his final days MK started working through the Singapore 4A workbook. He struggled. We referred back to the Key to Fractions books that I had also brought along to help him understand fractions. How to simplify them, how to convert from a mixed number to a fraction and back again. My fondest memory from those days will always be MK and I sitting on the sofa in my Dad’s family room, and Dad lying in the hospital bed placed parallel to the window wall. MK whispered since he didn’t want to wake his Granddad, ‘Math is not fun Mom.’ I hoped that my Dad might be listening although I doubted it since he was snoring away but I asked anyways,

‘Dad, MK thinks math isn’t fun. Please tell him that math is lots of fun.’ And on the cue, Dad shook his head up and down. It wasn’t just a little affirmative but a no-doubt-in-your-mind, yes. Figuring I was on a roll I asked,

‘Dad, would you please tell MK that he must study math and learn math really, really well cause he will need math.’ Dad again stopped his snoring and shook his head up and down.

And so we sat on that sofa and continued to talk about fractions and how to simplify them or multiply them. Everyonce in awhile I would say between my math explanations to MK, a directed statement to Dad, ‘Dad, MK is really understanding this. He’s learning how fun math is. Isn’t that great?’ And Dad would stop his snoring and shake his head yes. And back at home we continued to work through the Singapore 4A and then 4B workbooks helping to clear the cobwebs from MK’s brain and clarify his understanding that math can be fun and it is worth doing cause he will need it someday.

This past Friday MK finished a Revision exercise in Singapore 4B and yesterday he flew through another Revision exercise. He didn’t need my assistance to do these problems and he got nearly ever problem correct. One step backwards and two steps forward. A joy of homeschooling. We all know this, if our child isn’t getting a concept we can take the time to stop and make sure the foundation is well laid before moving on. Or take a few days or weeks or whatever it takes to make sure the tools they need are in their brains to use later.

And while MK might be doing a 4th grade math book right now he is truly a 6th grader, just getting what he needs. Someday he might feel like I do about math; it is easy and it is fun. Even calculus is fun and easy to me. But that wasn’t always the case for me although I didn’t know that until 2 weeks ago. Long story short, I came across my grade school report cards in my parents file cabinet. The one we were cleaning out in search of Dad’s Army discharge papers. I read through them. Oh my, what an awfully poor student I was. And there it was also; I was in the LOW Math group; I didn’t know my math facts; in 1st or 2nd or 3rd or 4th grades. Finally in 5th grade the remark was made that I was moved from the LOW math group to the low-middle group and while I was struggling to keep up with the other students I was enjoying the competition.

Somehow through all that a sure foundation in math was built, math facts and basic concepts learned, and I guess I must have also been permitted to stay at the level I needed before moving on. I do not remember ever struggling in math but rather I remember how easy Algebra 1 was, and 2 and geometry and calculus, and how other kids wanted me to tutor them through high school and college math.

So here we are. My fear is that MK will remember his struggles with math, but I also hope and pray that he will have a firm, solid foundation from these years so that Algebra and geometry and calculus is fun and easy too. And I hope that he remembers his Granddad shaking his head YES, Math is fun.