Helping my girls with homework has become a daily chore. I spent the majority of their lives, ignoring the work they do and having them take responsibility for their own learning. This worked for many years. We started out in Waldorf schools where homework is delayed till 4th grade. Then, my son went to a special school that placed the homework responsibility back on the teacher. All we had to do, was “check” that my child could not finish their homework. The teachers took care of the rest. This school knew the struggles that families face at home and took a load off parents shoulders.
I’ve been helping my daughters with their math homework. It just so happens that this year I became a math teacher to struggling learners. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is a challenge for me because I’m not a trained teacher or had much interest in math. I was just fortunate at a young age to have a good working memory and was able to figure out math problems with ease.
The opposite is true for my daughters. They both struggle with math. They struggled with reading because of the dyslexia, but with years of OG tutoring are able to read and write. They get frustrated when trying to figure out math problems and it leads to tears. In fact, my daughter says “Dad always makes us cry with homework.”
I trained in Mortensen Math, which uses manipulatives to teach math in a fun way. My daughters don’t think math time with mom is fun. I find it better to rely on professions when you can, but this is not an option due to lack of tutoring resources. I’m teaching them the conceptual understanding of math, making it multi-sensory and incorporating real life. My daughter is a visual learner, so blocks and other objects help her visualize the problem. On a large white board, it helps to do computations and see them altogether. I’ve spoken to her teachers and they provide accommodations. If she can’t figure out a problem, she puts a “?” next to it and gets help. This takes the pressure off. It’s amazing that she’s at a large public school with limited resources, and her teacher gives up weekly time to help her. It’s teachers like this that make all the difference.
It’s utterly important to treat your teachers with respect, kindness, and gratitude. There are so many caring teachers that try to do their best for your child, but many parents put the blame on teachers when things don’t go well for their child. Don’t do that. Rather, embrace the advice and see what you can do to partner with your child’s teacher and help your kiddo at home.