Settling into the school year: notes from Mathnasium of Edina

A few weeks into the school year and things are starting to come into focus for our Edina families. For a lot of my students, the first few weeks back are when it finally becomes obvious where they're struggling, now that homework and new material are actually landing on their plate. On the flip side, I'm also hearing from families whose kids are ready to be challenged and want to move ahead instead of waiting on the rest of the class. Either way, the question parents keep asking me is the same. What does my child actually need right now?

The topics giving kids the most trouble right now are the connections between fractions, decimals, and percents. When those core skills have gaps, everything built on top of them gets shaky fast. I'm also seeing a lot of students who need help with algebraic thinking, especially turning word problems into equations. More often than not, the hard part isn't even the math. It's figuring out what the problem is actually asking.

My advice to Edina parents this month is to give your child some room to adjust to the new year, but don't ignore the early warning signs. If homework is taking way longer than it should, or your child is avoiding math altogether and talking down about themselves, that's worth looking into now instead of later. A small fix in September beats a big one in the spring.

We've got a lot happening at the center this fall. On Saturday, September 26, from 2 to 3:30pm, we're hosting a joint Open House with Coder's Clubhouse. Hands on math and coding activities, games, tours of the center, and free Crumbl Cookies for every family who comes by. We're also running our Marshmallows in a Jar estimation challenge this month, and our students voted on new prizes for our top performers, an iPad and AirPods, both of which are already up for grabs and being worked for hard. We dropped off school supplies and cupcakes at local schools too, just a small thank you to teachers for kicking off the year.

If you're looking for something to do locally, the Centennial Lakes Farmers Market runs September 24 from 3 to 7pm, with local vendors, food, and live music. A nice way to spend a fall evening in Edina.