Thursday, January 10, 2008

Math woes

Math has been a consistent problem in this homeschool. Yakov hates it, which seems a bit surprising from a musician. Shoshie doesn't like it either but she keeps pushing along. I am really trying to do something different with Noach. He is working in Keys to... now and we are reading Murderous Maths everyday, which he loves. The most disturbing thing is that they are ALL quite capable in math. So somewhere I screwed up. I like math so I don't think I passed on math phobia.

Shoshie and Yakov have been doing ALEKS this year. Shoshie will finish Algebra 1 in the next week or so and will start Geometry with Life of Fred and ALEKS as a supplement.

What to do for Yakov is really on my mind. He has a very good shot at an 800 on each of the verbal and writing portions of the SAT but his math score will not be good. We are looking for a math tutor. The two of us walked into a new business here, Mathnasium, earlier in the week. I think it would be a good place for SAT prep, working at least 2 hours per week until May.

BUT, sitting at a table helping another child was one of his least favorite members of the local homeschooling community, a woman who has attempted to spread all kinds of bs about my children in the past. Not solely my children. There have been numerous victims of her venom. I realized a few months ago that whenever one of her children gets in trouble, her defense is a strong offense and Yakov, and less so Shoshie, have been targeted several times.

He does not want to work with this woman in any way and we don't know whether he would have to if he started that program. I don't know what to do. I think I will call the owner and discuss more specifically how the program works. I really don't want to, and will not, badmouth this woman, not a courtesy she would extend to me, of course. PRM

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