Mathematics! In teaching math to my little guy, I’ve never been more conscious of my own bias toward the subject. While always a diligent student, I never grasped it quite as deeply as I did language arts or even science.
Here at the ripe age of 38, I am finally beginning to understand the foundational patterns around numbers, or perhaps, more specifically, the multitude of ways a student can arrive at even the simplest addition problems.
How can someone with so little knowledge (or frankly, prior interest) in teaching math actually make math engaging and worth exploring? Sure, we can measure flour and sugar or play hopscotch outside, but doesn’t that all seem so cursory? How am I supposed to plumb the depths of my child’s curiosity around math without infecting him with my negative attitudes?
That’s a question I am trying to answer. Fortunately, I have a fellow homeschool mom friend who is ALSO a math teacher. She recommended I start by reading Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset. Looks like I’ve got my cozy winter read.
In the interim, I’ve enrolled our kiddo in a once-a-week supplemental math class at our local secular homeschool group. The course focuses on the fun (games! things to touch!) and practical aspects of elementary school math in a small, mixed-age group of kids. I’m hoping he will gain some new insights and perspectives on math beyond the solid but basic curriculum I teach at home.
Light On Homeschool 