Bigger not Better

Are you a parent of a student? There was too much math to teach when your were a kid. Now, there is even more. Your child is up against a math curriculum that is bigger than ever. It’s also harder than ever. Even after years of consideration by committees all over the country, many topics on the math curriculum are taught two years too soon for the average child. No wonder your child can’t keep up! And math isn’t the only subject your youngster has to deal with. Other subjects have hefty requirements as well. If math homework takes too long or is too frustrating to do, your child may push it aside in an effort to keep up in other subjects and avoid the frustration of trying and failing.

Not All Teachers Are Created Equal

Many math teachers are specialists. They had no trouble in math when they were learners. They easily mastered how to interpret symbols, mathematical shorthand, and equations. These teachers may have a hard time understanding anyone–like your kid–who doesn’t have the same abilities. These teachers find it difficult to help kids who need to learn math through reading, spoken language, and pictures rather than through symbols and numbers. They may even think kids with math “problems” are lazy, stupid, or just daydreaming. What a specialist teacher may fail to see is that your child might just be hypnotized by incomprehension.

Given the trend toward budget cutting and staff downsizing in schools, some math classes are taught by teachers who have no math background at all. A teacher who does not have a thorough understanding of math concepts won’t be able to effectively communicate with kids who are having trouble.

We don’t want to beat up on teachers. Their jobs are pretty tough. These two examples illustrate two extreme teaching situations but most math teachers fall somewhere in-between. They know the math and they have a pretty good idea how to teach it but they they are up against difficulties that prevent them from doing their jobs the way they would like to do it.

House of Cards Syndrome

The only way kids can get a grip on math is by having a solid foundation to support new knowledge. If your child is having trouble, you can be certain that he or she is suffering from house of cards syndrome–one more missed concept and everything will collapse. In no other subject do kids need to know everything that went before to understand today’s lesson. No wonder the foundation has to be strong! Your child probably knows this already, but has found it is impossible to shore up the foundation without working on the upper floors at the same time. This is where Gold Star Tutors come in. We specialize in helping your child understand their school word so they can complete their assignments, prepare for and get better results on their quizzes, tests, and exams. And ultimately get better grades on their report cards.

Contact us today to get more details about our effective tutoring: https://www.goldstartutors.com/#contact1