Has anyone has bypassed this route on your road to parenting? Let me familiarize you with my current Highway to Hell. It is located in the city of Math, still don’t know it? Try exit Algebra II Honors. There exists a land of polynomials, with a few exponents and radicals with stupid algebraic expressions on their faces, all debating the quadratic function of life.
The Princess is an excellent student, A’s in Civics, Bible and English II Honors, however she is failing Algebra II Honors. We have been battling traffic on this highway for the past four months and have now found ourselves at the Ninth Circle of Math Hell. She has declared she now hates Math, loved it in the previous ten years, but nope, this year she just doesn’t relate to the concept.
There are many possible explanations to her struggle this year. The teacher, the less than interesting subject matter, The Princess lack of effort and discipline to use available resources, the school system structure, etc. We have instilled the importance of learning and education to two completely different children. The Prince is an intellectually oriented young man and The Princess a socially oriented young lady. They possess identical senses of humor and opposite styles of learning information, he learns for the love of learning and she learns what she loves.
Unfortunately, educational systems in American today are geared not to individual learning methods, but a focus on the grade versus actually instructing the student in an intelligent and engaging manner. A manner that results in the student actually comprehending the subject versus suffering total defeat. Our local school system seems content to inspire learning through daily routine that is cycled adnausem to be repeated on a paper exam. Conventional teaching methods seem to hinder both the challenged, and the gifted in acquiring an appetite for knowledge.
We were provided these tips for The Princess success in Algebra II Honors class from the teacher, who refuses to make eye contact when speaking to you, I have added my thoughts for additional insight.
- Review homework each night: Okay, I can look at the homework, but I have long since lost the ability to interpret quadratic functions.
- Make certain they get 10 hours of sleep each night: What planet do you live on?
- Reinforce math through everyday life: Okay, as soon as I can think of a way to work in Euclid’s axiom into our daily routine I will get right on that one.
- I am always here to help: It is not helpful to call my daughter a ditsy blonde, it is also not helpful to treat her with disdain when you discover she is receiving tutoring from one of your co-workers.
- Test re-takes are always available if she does not do well on the initial test: Did anyone else get do-overs in High School because they did not perform well on the first test? (Refer to previous comment on pressure to produce a grade)
The Princess has, under duress from the The Royal Parents, surrendered. Her response: “Mom, really, when will I use this in the real world?” As much as I would like to say, you are right dear daughter, we all know there are hoops you must jump through in our educational system to arrive at the the end of the course. This term she has failed to even apply a minimal effort to improving her understanding of the subject. The King and I have resorted to what I like to call catalyst agents, The Princess declares they are certainly going to end her social life, I disagree, I could resort to these methods. Pain sometimes motivates change, I would settle for a concerted attempt.
Anyone know how I could get Matt Damon from Good Will Hunting to help tutor? That would provide incentive.
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