Before You Rush Out and Hire a Math Tutor Think M.O.R.

HOW A PARENT CAN HELP A MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOLER SUCCEED IN MATH

It's only October of your son's freshmen year and already he has a D in math. How could he fall behind so quickly. How will this reflect on the first semester of his permanent high school record? What might this do to his chances of getting into a reputable college?

As a high school math teacher I'd love to jump in and discuss learning math content, but the truth is that for most kids math content isn't the main reason they aren't doing well in math. Before rushing out to hire a math tutor at $60 an hour, do your own homework by stepping back and looking at the big picture. Doing so will benefit your son, cost you less money and address the biggest stumbling blocks first. Look more closely at your son's needs so that you can match his needs to appropriate resources. Is he motivated to do well in math class? Does he . . read more

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Pick Your Bucket

HOW A PARENT CAN SUPPORT MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL MATH CONTENT CHALLENGES

Having addressed motivation, organization and relationships issues (see previous article), you can now address what you thought was the root problem, the math. While every student's challenges are different, as a math teacher I find difficulties tend to fall into three buckets: Trouble with concepts, problems with accuracy and a need for remediation.

Concept difficulties are perhaps the most frustrating for the student and most difficult to correct. For example Gail and Bob's son Jacob just can't seem to grasp the concept of using the sine ratio in his Geometry class. He's read the material and seen the instructor's lecture on the topic but . . . read more