WHAT TO DO WHEN A SAXON STUDENT ENCOUNTERS DIFFICULTY EARLY IN THE COURSE.
By the time the first several months of the new school year have passed, most Saxon math students are at least a fourth of the way through their respective math books and are quickly finding out that the easy review of the previous textbook’s material has come to a sudden halt. They are now entering the part of the textbook that determines whether or not they have mastered sufficient material from the previous textbook to be prepared for their current course of instruction.
For students who start school in August – using the Saxon middle or high school math series from Math 76 through Algebra 2 – this generally occurs sometime in mid-to late October around lesson 35 or so. Or it can occur sometime in late November, if they started the course in September. Or, depending upon the student’s schedule it may not occur until after the Christmas Holidays in January. This past school year I received a number of email and telephone calls from home school parents who had students who were experiencing difficulty after completing about forty or so lessons of the course. They were mostly upper middle school or high school students using John Saxon’s Algebra ½, Algebra 1, or Algebra 2 textbooks.
The symptoms described by the home school parents were similar. The daily assignments seem to take much longer than before and the test grades appear to be erratic or on a general downward trend. The student becomes easily frustrated and starts making comments like, “Why do I have to do every problem?” – or – “There are too many of them and it takes too long.” – or – “Why can’t I just do the odd problems since there are two of each anyway?” They might even say things like “This book is too hard.” – or – “It covers too many topics every day.” Or even worse – “I hate math.”
About that time, many homeschool educators do the same thing that parents of public or private school students do. They question the curriculum. They immediately look for another – easier – math curriculum so that their children can be successful. Since the students apparently did fine in the previous level book, the parents believe there must be something wrong with this textbook since their sons or daughters are no longer doing well.
Looking for an “easier” math course is like a high school football coach who has just lost his first ten high school football games. However, he assures the principal that they will definitely be successful in their next football game. “How can you be so sure that you will be successful in your next football game?” asks the principal. “Oh that’s easy,” replies the coach. “I’ve scheduled the next game with an elementary school.”
I do not believe the answer is to find an easier math curriculum. I believe the answer is to find out why the students are encountering difficulty in the math curriculum they are currently using, and then find a viable solution to that situation. As John Saxon often said, algebra is not difficult; it is different!
Because every child is also different, I cannot offer a single solution that will apply to every child’s situation, but before I present a general solution to Saxon users, please be aware that if you call my office and leave your telephone number or if you email me, I will discuss the specifics of your children’s situation and hopefully be able to assist you. My office number is 580-234-0064 (CST) and my email address is art.reed@usingsaxon.com.
When Saxon students encounter difficulty in their current level math book before they reach lesson 30-40 or so, it is generally because one or more of the following conditions contributed to their current dilemma:
- They did not finish the previous level book because someone told them they did not have to since the first 30 or so lessons in the next book contained the same material anyway.
- In the previous level math book, when students complained the daily work took too long the parents allowed them to do only the odd problems. Doing this negates the built-in automaticity of John Saxon’s Mastery of Math textbooks.
- In the previous level math book, to hasten course completion, the parents allowed the students to combine easy lessons, sometimes doing two lessons a day, but only one lesson’s assignment.
- The students did not take the weekly tests in the previous courses. Their grades were predicated upon their daily homework. NOTE: The daily homework grade reflects memory. The weekly test grade reflects mastery.
There are other conditions that contribute to the students encountering difficulty early in their Saxon math book. Basically, they all point to the fact that, by taking shortcuts, the students did not master the necessary math concepts to be successful in their current level textbook. This weakness shows up around lesson 30 – 40 in every one of John’s math books. The good news is that this condition – if caught early – can be isolated and the weaknesses corrected without re-taking the entirety of the previous level math book.
There is a procedure to “Find and Fill in the Existing Math Holes” that allows students to progress successfully. This procedure involves using the tests from the previous level math book to look for the “holes in the student’s math” or for those concepts that they did not master. This technique can easily tell the parent whether the student needs to repeat the last third of the previous book or if they can escape that situation by just filling in the missing concepts – or holes.
If you have my book, then you already know the specifics of the solution. If you do not have my book, then you can call me or email your situation to me and I will assist you and your child.
Regardless of what math book is being used, students who do not enjoy their level of mathematics are generally at a level above their capabilities.