As a former high school algebra and geometry teacher, my math curriculum of choice for my homeschooled children is now Teaching Textbooks!
I’ve got a slightly embarrassing confession to make. I was the type of student who would ask my high school geometry teacher for extra proofs to work on…just for fun! I majored in math in college. My masters degree is in math education. I used to be a math teacher at a high school. (If you’re interested, you could read more about my quirky self here.)
Okay, so – maybe the only really embarrassing part, so far, is about asking for extra proofs. But, the truly embarrassing part is that with all this math education, experience and passion, you would think that I actually teach math to my own homeschooled kids, right?!??
Well, confession time – I don’t. And, for the longest time I was REALLY embarrassed for people to know this reality! Let me explain…
Our Homeschool Math Experience Nightmare
When my daughter was much younger, I was her primary math teacher and, it started out great…until, to be brutally honest, it became torture. Much to my dismay as she got older, she absolutely hated math and she hated having to wait for me to teach it to her. We were using a wonderful curriculum, but it absolutely required me to be a hands-on instructor, which I was used to since I had previously taught math in a school setting.
However, with multiple little ones running around the house, I was not always available to work with my daughter when she wanted me to. I was disappointed that she didn’t share my affinity for the subject, but I was even more disappointed in how I was letting math drive a wedge between me and my daughter.
Being a perfectionist by nature, I was of the mentality that if we started a curriculum, we had to finish it in its entirety. I know!!! That is so far from the truth! And, now, I am one of the first to advocate for homeschool mamas by telling them that “if it ain’t working, try something different!”
There is absolutely no shame in admitting that something wasn’t a good educational fit for you or your child. And, that was the case for my daughter and I when it came to math. What we were using was no longer working.
So, reassuring myself that it would be better for our relationship, I convinced myself to try something different. Something that I had heard great things about. Yet, something that surely a former math teacher would not use as their homeschoolers math curriculum.
We decided to try Teaching Textbooks. That was right around her 5th/6th grade school year and we have not looked back! In fact she has used Teaching Textbooks from Math 7 all the way through Pre-Calculus! And, all of my boys are using Teaching Textbooks now too!
So, what exactly is Teaching Textbooks?
Teaching Textbooks is a self-directed math curriculum for grades 3-12. Yes, it includes upper level math as well! Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Pre-Calculus!
Did you catch the self-directed part? That means that my kids are able to sit down and do their math lessons at anytime, without needing my help at all! (This is the embarrassing part – I’m a former math teacher that doesn’t even teach math to my own kids!)
They watch the video instruction. They do the guided practice problems. They complete their assignment, using hints as needed. (Yes, hints can be turned off.) And then, the program grades all of their work! Completely self-directed!
So, what’s different about the new 4.0 version?
The new Teaching Textbooks 4.0 version is app-based such that you can do math “on-the-go.” When we first started with Teaching Textbooks, we purchased the 2.0 version that had all the lessons on disks. Unfortunately, disks got lost or broken and had to be replaced. We eventually migrated to the 3.0 version, which was online – but that meant that we always needed an internet connection to do math.
Now, with the new app-based 4.0 version, math is truly mobile and can be used offline, which means with Teaching Textbooks, math can literally be done at anytime, anywhere – no disks or internet connection needed!
As a former math teacher, I really appreciate this:
I know that the world is now a highly digital place. But, I would like to note that as a former math teacher, I see value in pencil and paper. While Teaching Textbooks does provide the “textbook” in ebook format, I appreciate having a “hard copy” for my children to use.
Well, the folks at Teaching Textbooks took care of that even with the app-based 4.0 version. For people like me who want a printed version of the “textbook” for their kids to use as they follow along doing the practice problems and working through the lessons, Teaching Textbooks also provides the option to print out the lessons. LOVE IT!
My Final Thoughts
No, I am no longer my daughter’s (nor my sons’) primary math teacher. But, by using Teaching Textbooks, my daughter has not only learned math at a high level, she actually said that she “doesn’t hate math anymore.” That is definitely a step in the right direction. I’m incredibly thankful that I didn’t let math ruin our relationship!
The embarrassment of being a former math teacher who no longer teaches math to her homeschooled children was just something I had to get over!
And, after seeing how well my daughter performed on the SAT, I couldn’t be more pleased with her math instruction!
When it comes to my daughter’s homeschool math education, I believe that making the change to Teaching Textbooks has been the single best decision we have made.
Try Teaching Textbooks for FREE
Want to make the change like I did? Maybe it’s time for you to try something different as well! Visit Teaching Textbooks for a FREE trial. You can get access to the first 15 lessons of any Teaching Textbooks math product (grades 3-12) absolutely FREE!
This post was originally published on January 15, 2021.
