Pages

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

"Math is one of my best subjects"

You have no idea how long I have waited to hear Jo say this.

Today, she did.

She is just three short lessons away from finishing Math-U-See's Gamma program. Yes, she is ten. Yes, she is so painfully gifted in the areas of writing and literature as to require virtually no actual instruction in those arts. But no, she is not a math phenom.

But suddenly, she thinks she is.

Oh, she knows that she's behind most of her peers. She can feel Atticus nipping eagerly at her heels--especially since I purposefully slowed him down in MUS so that he wouldn't overtake his sister. A few well-timed rabbit trails into astro-physics kept him occupied (and educated) enough to lull him into a near-trance while Jo forged ahead, memorizing multiplication facts and learning how to work problems.

Jo is a smart enough tack to know this.

But she also doesn't care. She thinks she is good at math now. And she's enjoying it. Math-U-See has conquered her hatred and fear of math. What else matters?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh I so relate! 10 year old girl, lover of words, trying to finish MUS Gamma....one question:
HOW do YOU teach your daughter the times tables??? Nothing sticks here.
JR

G.L.H. said...

Congratulations to Jo!

This is such a testimony to homeschooling--that we can custom-design our children's education so that the love of learning is never stifled.

Thanks for sharing Jo's success!

--Barbara