How Mathnasium Helped My Son Love School Again
It’s the end of another grading period, and I just found out my son made a B in his math class. I typically don’t share private things like my kid’s grades with the world at large, but I was especially happy about this one. I partly credit the accomplishment to tutoring my son received at our local Mathnasium. But that’s a longer story…
Our Terrible Horrible No Good Math Story
Second Grade was a tough one for my little guy. This kid loved school, right up until the point where multiplication tables became our nightly drill. He was struggling with numbers, and my husband and I noticed something was a little “off”. His writing and language skills were awesome – well above average even – but there seemed to be a blatant disconnect when it came to math. After a flurry of bad test grades and many, many tears (from both my son and myself) we discovered he has dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes numbers and math challenging to process and understand. Symptoms range from difficulty with counting and basic mental math to trouble with telling time and direction.
At that time, no one at my son’s school knew anything about dyscalculia and there weren’t any local resources to help. We decided to homeschool so we could learn more about it, and to keep our son’s enthusiasm about school and learning positive. His math troubles were starting to create a domino effect into other subjects, and in his mind school = math so it must be avoided. His confidence and self-esteem had plummeted.
Homeschooling went great for about three years, then around 6th grade I was the one that hit a wall. I was having trouble teaching him the math concepts and I needed some outside help. I called Mathnasium and scheduled a consultation. My first question to the Mathnasium instructor was “Do you know what dyscalculia is?” Not only did she know about it already, but some of the instructors there also specialized in learning disabilities – we had hit the jackpot!
The Mathnasium Method
The first thing we did at our consultation was for my son to take a benchmark assessment. They had to get a good feel for what he already knew, and build up from there. It was a one-on-one “test” and they even made it fun for him! He also really connected with two of the instructors there – both were young guys that liked some of the same video games and sports my son liked, and were MUCH cooler than Mom.
From there, the instructors identified the areas where he needed additional math work and areas where he was strong. They created a customized learning plan just for him that was built on encouragement and positive reinforcement. Building him up to be more confident in his abilities was key to this plan, and that made it easier to get him to his tutoring appointments. Somehow, his tutors at Mathnasium found a way to make learning more personal to him, and the flexible tutoring schedule allowed us to come in year-round twice a week. No more math dread!
What My Son Gained
Thanks to his tutors, my son had a much better understanding of math concepts on his grade level, his competency scores had greatly improved, and most importantly to me, he didn’t hate math or school anymore. He doesn’t put off his math homework like he used to, and he still uses the good habits and problem solving skills he learned during his tutoring sessions. My boy with dyscalculia is making high B’s in math, something I wasn’t sure he would ever be able to do. His self-confidence has been restored, and he takes advanced classes in his other subjects now too.
Who Is Mathnasium For?
If you want someone who is trained in math instruction to teach your child to understand the thinking behind math concepts one-on-one, and to help them improve their problem solving skills (not just do problem drills), then Mathnasium is for you.
If you have a child that is advanced in math, and wants to keep broadening their skills with a specially trained instructor that won’t spend time on things they already know, Mathnasium is for you.
If your kid is frustrated every night with their math homework, you’re tearing your hair out trying to help them, and it’s starting to affect your relationship, then Mathnasium is for you.
If your student fell behind during the pandemic and is having a hard time advancing because they missed some core concepts, Mathnasium is for you.
If your high schooler wants to prepare for the ACT or SAT test one-on-one, or if your middle schooler needs a customized approach for studying for the DukeTIP or Stanford EPGY programs, then Mathnasium is for you.
Now is a great time to call for your FREE Mathnasium Huntsville consultation (free through March 31, 2021) and to learn more!
Mathnasium Huntsville Details
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Address: 2124 Cecil Ashburn Dr SE, Ste 140 Huntsville (map)
Phone: 256-885-0886
Hours: Mon-Thur 3-7 PM | Fri 3-6 PM
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