Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, Life Strategist

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Sep 26 2011

Math-fearing parents can produce math-loving students

I frequently receive questions about homeschooling math, or about assisting children with math assignments at home.  Since I happen to love teaching math, I’ve made it my goal to help families overcome this anxiety if I can.

Did you know a parent’s math aptitude has no bearing on how well children will perform in math class?  It’s true! Like with all other subjects, children can easily succeed in math whether their parents are good at it or not.

Though an aptitude for math isn’t exactly hereditary, an apprehension about math can be passed down from parents to children.  Since math anxiety CAN be transferred from teachers to students, and from parents to children, homeschool moms and dads would be wise to to hide math insecurities from their kids if they can.  I know that’s easier said than done — but exuding a positive attitude about math should remain a constant goal.

Another tip is to raise kids to view math like any other subject.  The worst thing is to single math out as something different, something hard, or something requiring a lot of extra help and attention from non-math-hating people. Saying things like, “Many people stink at math”  or, “Most people never use math in their lives anyway” will only make things worse. As you can imagine, statements such as those do nothing to encourage or anchor positive math thoughts into kids’ minds.

Negative math thoughts plant only doubt — causing some kids to give up before even giving math a try.

Negative math thoughts plant only doubt, causing some kids to give up before even giving math a try.

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Avoiding anti-math thoughts is so crucially important, in fact, that for kids who are taught that enjoying math is a matter of choice or preference; or that only those with exceptional abilities will succeed, it might be too late to ever develop a math-confident attitude.

Homeschooled kids — particularly those who’ve never experienced math-phobic teachers and students in traditional classrooms – have a great advantage in this area.  They’ve been less exposed, therefore less influenced, by the way others think about mathematics. And as long as parents and others refrain from making anti-math comments, kids who view math as the same challenge as anything else, are more likely to succeed.

Finally, especially when teaching math, consider how the child learns best. Thinking about the child’s personality and his/her learning preferences is very important with math, since the fit between math instruction and the student can literally make or break the first few math experiences. Unpleasant math experiences can be overcome, but best to avoid them in the first place.  Starting out with the right-fit curriculum or materials saves a great deal of time and frustration trying to turn negative experiences around.

Insuring initial wins in math successfully sets the tone for more positive math lessons to come.

Insuring initial wins in math successfully sets the tone for more positive math lessons to come.

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With all that said, choosing a mathematics curriculum for homeschooling isn’t always an either task, either. I offer the following advice for selecting math products for homeschool:

1. Begin shopping early, ideally 2-3 months before homeschool begins. This time frame provides ample time to research all the possibilities, allowing time for returns and exchanges if products are not as expected.

2. Ask homeschooling friends what they use for each child and why — the “why” being the most important part.  Hearing from other parents why they like or dislike products can help identify things you may not have thought of on your own.  Listening to their stories can also help identify the kinds of products that work well for different kinds of children.

3. For younger children:  Figure out exactly how to use math books and other resources before showing them to your student.  Displaying an understanding of the course and confidence about the system can be the key to gaining your child’s trust and cooperation — and, ultimately, his/her success in using it.  For older children:  Let previous experiences with math to be your guide, but consider allowing older students to help select their own math resources or help you figure out how to use them for homeschooling.

4. Never let popularity or a product’s indisputable reputation keep you from choosing something else.  If, while flipping through a math book or reading aloud some instructions to your child, your gut tells you something isn’t right, you’re probably right.  With mathematics, though perseverance and hard work are important to understanding materials, muddying the waters by using a book that makes no sense to you or to your student will only make it worse.  No matter how early in the year or how much money you have paid for a textbook, subscription, or online course, re-evaluating your needs and changing materials is the best thing to do.

For a list of some of the most popular math programs used by homeschoolers, check HERE.  The more care you take in choosing what you use, the better off your student will start out in math overall.  And a better start in math will insure a better finish every time!

Related articles:

How to teach the “tough” subjects

What kind of math is needed for college?

Three ways to teach math

Where to turn for math help

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A writer, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA/Tampa, H.E.R.I., HECOA, Start Homeschooling Summit, Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: classroom resources, lesson planning, math, math anxiety, struggling learners

Jul 01 2011

Out, not up

One of the things that homeschoolers love is having the power to control their child’s education.  Or not to control it, depending on the approach taken.  But nevertheless the ability to allow their children to learn in freedom, without the restrictions placed upon kids in traditional classrooms.

While chatting with a kindergarten teacher from a public school not long ago, I asked about something written on her lesson plan.  The instruction had to do with center activities, specifically the center containing the building blocks and die-cast cars and trucks. 

Her plan, in so many words, stated that children in that particular center were allowed to build whatever they wanted.  But, not really (I thought).  Because the plan also said that the children should be encouraged to build out, not necessarily up.  In other words, she didn’t want children only stacking blocks atop each other and building giant towers.  She wanted them to build larger, wider, stronger structures to avoid frustration and make less of a mess.  She also didn’t want them getting hurt by asking to stand on chairs to build higher.

This really got me thinking about the freedom to learn in its simplest form.

Though I understand the constant need to keep kids safe (no disagreement there), I thought about the idea of telling the children how to build safer and stronger structures.  This is a lot like what many parents do by sheltering children or continually reminding them how to do everything, instead of allowing the kids to discover things on their own.

Isn’t there more to be learned by building a tower and having it topple over on its own?

Does a teacher always need to be there, reminding a child when to stop building or suggesting how many blocks it might take to tip over?  Couldn’t the builder figure that out on his own, and wouldn’t that be part of the fun and fascination?

And what if different children had steadier hands or different techniques than others, and were able to build even taller towers because they had stacked their blocks differently or more neatly, getting an entirely different result than the child working beside them?

And so what if the tower fell down anyway?  Apart from the noise or element of surprise, what exactly was the big deal? Is anyone suggesting that a child could never recover from a broken block tower?

Surely the “mess” could be cleaned up in a matter of seconds.  And wouldn’t it be fun to see how far the pieces scattered after the tower fell anyway?

What are your thoughts after reading this post?

[Photo of Dr. Drew’s blocks: Moreau]

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: gifted, random, struggling learners

Jun 21 2011

Better curriculum fit = a better experience

 

Homeschooling comes with many advantages, including the right for parents to choose products that suit each child in the family.  Not all parents take advantage of this freedom, however.  In fact, it is surprising to find that many parents use products that are ill-suited to their children — even when homeschooling gives them full permission to drop everything and choose something else.

Finding a curriculum to suit a child may not always be easy.  It is rare to get it right the first time around.  It can take several attempts and maybe even span a period of a couple of years to find just the right tools to teach a particular child.  That’s because the longer a parent works with a child, the better that child’s likes & dislikes, strengths & weaknesses, habits & styles begin to show themselves.  Over time, these clues help parents choose better products, explaining why initially this process can take some time to figure out.

What does the “right fit” curriculum look like? 

For starters, it may not be a “curriculum” at all.  I’ll use the term curriculum here to keep things simple and basic.  But please understand we’re talking about any kind of educational tools at all.

A good fit curriculum is not only one that does the job, but does it well.  And not just academically either.  The right curriculum for a homeschooler is one that includes the information that a parent desires to cover that year. But, it is also one that meshes well with the student’s preferred way of doing things.

Let’s look at two examples:

Little Johnny loves to read and there is no keeping Johnny’s nose out of books.  In fact, Johnny carries a book wherever he goes and he reads every spare minute he has.  A homeschooling parent might make the connection that a good fit for Johnny would be a curriculum that involves readings and lots and lots of books.  And not books on tape or e-books purchased on the computer — actual books, like the kind that Johnny likes.

Little Susie, on the other hand, is not a reader.  In fact, Susie will do whatever it takes to avoid reading, making excuses, asking for breaks, or skimming readings with little or no comprehension at all.  Instead, Susie prefers to watch TV, videos and streamed-in programming right on her laptop.  Observing Susie for a period of time might lead a parent to conclude that the right fit for Susie is one that comes on a set of DVDs or uses computer software.  Maybe.  Or at least something that doesn’t involve so much reading.  Using experimentation and observation, Susie’s parents will eventually find exactly the right product(s) for her.

Even children in the same family do things differently, making it so important to find the right match for each and every child, and not just recycling materials down from one student to another (though this may be tempting as it is less expensive).

Too often we hear parents talking about their children in terms of which subjects the kids like and which they don’t.  Kids do have their favorites, it’s true.  But, sometimes – and this may comes as a surprise to parents – it isn’t that children like or dislike subjects at all.  Instead, the like and dislike comes from the curriculum being used, because it’s the wrong fit.  That is, if Johnny hates math, it could be that Johnny’s mom is teaching math using plastic blocks when all Johnny really wants to do is read about math from a book.  And, if Susie likes science, it might be because Susie’s science curriculum is a series of videos so she is rewarded by a method that appeals to her.  In fact, if Susie watched videos about history or poetry, those just might become her favorite subjects, too.

When choosing homeschooling curriculum, consider the best fit for the child that will be using it.  Involving children in the selection process is a great way to see what the children naturally gravitate to.  But in their absence, be sure to select products that seem to resemble the way each child likes to learn.

A better curriculum fit equates to a better experience all around.  Academically, children learn best when they are enthusiastic and interested in what they’re doing.  Enthusiasm and interest often comes from exposing children to knowledge and information in the form that they’d like to learn it.

When kids are happy and learning, everyone is happy.  Not just the students, but moms and dads, too.  Though it may take some time, and even involve shelving or selling expensive curriculum materials that just don’t work, over time, you’ll discover the right fit for every child in your homeschool.

Doesn’t it make sense to  find the best fit for your child?

Photo: Free Digital

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: classroom resources, learning styles, struggling learners

May 20 2011

Feeling overwhelmed? Try these rescue strategies!

As if their plates weren’t already full enough, millions of Americans have also decided to add a large helping of homeschooling onto their dinner plates as well.  What was just an ordinary busy life can — for some – become an extraordinarily overwhelming life, complete with the additional duties of schooling and being home all day, not to mention the scary feeling of being responsible for it all.

But homeschooling doesn’t have to feel this way.  And — it shouldn’t!

The homeschooling life can be a joy and should never be something families dread.  If it becomes a chore or something much worse, changes absolutely need to be made.

Heed these instructions and see if they don’t make a quick and very positive impact on your feelings toward homeschooling.  The joy CAN return after these 3 simple steps:

1. Take a break.  First and foremost, stop everything!  Take a day off, a mini-vacation or field trip, “veg out” with television and some good books, or do whatever it takes to stop thinking about homeschooling for a little bit — a day, a week, or even two if it takes that long.  Breathe. Do something fun. Stepping back for a little bit will allow you to look at homeschooling much more objectively in a couple of days.

2. Find support.  If you haven’t already, now would be the time to seek out others like you.  Get online, make some calls, hang out at the park or library in the mornings, or anything you can do to meet other moms and dads you can talk to.  It’s amazing how much better you’ll feel after hearing that you aren’t alone, and that others have experienced the very same thing at one time or another.

3. Make some changes.  In your homeschool.  Or in your life.  In expectations, in curriculum, in scheduling, in activites, or in anything else.  Just make a change.  You can’t expect anything to be different if you keep doing the same thing over and over again.  Once you begin homeschooling again, by all means, switch things up.  Begin gradually. Drop a subject or two. Change from a book to an online program. School later in the day. Let your child pick what she wants to do a couple of times a week.  Sit outside instead of inside. Whatever it takes — just make a change. And if that one doesn’t work, make another. And another. Until things feel better.

Lastly, by all means, don’t give up!  Trying these simple rescue strategies are guaranteed to make positive changes — if not save your homeschooling entirely.  And please take a moment to read this post about giving up too soon.

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Women's Mind Body & Spirit · Tagged: large families, moms, struggling learners, support, work-at-home

May 05 2011

Will my child ever be ready?


Readiness comes at different times in different children. Some read at age 4 while others wait until they are 8 or 9 to do it. Some youngsters write short stories at 8 yet others aren’t ready until 16.

In the homeschooling world, though it can be hard to wait, exactly when things begin to happen doesn’t matter as much as one might think. While parents may wish the kids would start sooner, no amount of pushing, coaxing, bribery or worrying about it will necessarily make it so.

It may help to think about homeschool in the same way one might think about extracurricular activities. If a child doesn’t really like ballet, does she still have to do it? Or if a child is afraid of the soccer ball, are you still going to sign him up?  Potty use doesn’t always come early either.  And no matter how long you’ve tried and the methods you may have used, the truth is that toddlers generally use the toilet on their terms and only when good and ready.

It can be tough to wait on a child when others her age are doing something. But forcing a child to perform something she isn’t ready for is generally fruitless and frustrating anyhow.  Experiencing disappointment and feelings of inadequacy can come on as well. Waiting several weeks or months, even a year or two in some cases, until the level of readiness is reached may be be best for all concerned. [Note that readiness is different from willingness — another topic altogether.]

First time homeschoolers working with a first-born sometimes feel pressured to meet milestones, record bench-marks, and keep up with the pack.  I find it very endearing to watch new parents fret over babies and new homeschoolers worry if everything they’re doing is exactly right.  I was once there, too and I understand.  Over time, however, with subsequent children comes a slightly more relaxed attitude and the realization that added pressure doesn’t speed things along any more quickly than waiting it out anyhow.  

Much like patience is learned through parenting, exercising great patience is important during homeschooling as well.  And while mastering course requirements can certainly become very important in upper school while preparing for testing and college, waiting it out during the early years avoids excess anxiety and unpleasantness for parents and students alike.

Written by Marie-Claire · Categorized: Homeschool · Tagged: laws and legal, placement, struggling learners, support

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