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Why is Jackson so successful?
(tldr: he trusts the process)
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He and his parents bought into the program and were committed to showing up regularly. That's it, no secrets. I can only think of maybe 1 or 2 times over the past year where Jackson was stressing over his current homework in school or an upcoming test and wanted to focus on those instead of chipping away at the learning plan we had in place to fill in any gaps he had. He was patient, and diligently worked away at his learning plan with us, and now he's technically working through our 6th grade curriculum as a 5th grader. Now it is appropriate for us to try to match the pace of his current class or cherry pick and give him certain topics to work on if he has some upcoming quiz, because he has the foundation necessary so that he can actually work through those grade-level topics with us at an efficient rate.
A big misconception we get around here, especially this time of year with students in higher level classes such as Pre-Algebra or above, is that they are going to show up and get help learning algebra and salvage their grade in the class. Unfortunately, if the student's foundation is too weak, there is simply no way for them to absorb the grade level topics at a rate sufficient to keep up with the pace of their class, where they move on to a new topic every day. That is why they fell behind in the first place! I understand it can be scary as a parent to sign up for learning with us and, depending on where you student is currently at, not be able to expect greatness in the classroom for many months, but I promise you eventually your student can get there, and it will all be worth it then. But in order for this to happen, we have to be willing to progress in order the right way. I promise we'll get around to teaching your kid algebra or geometry, but only when they can prove to us they're ready for it by demonstrating mastery of the perequisite skills. This really is the best way to ensure long term success for future classes or college entrance exams- I ask that you keep this goal in mind while you bide your time for the few first months as you wait for your student to catch up.
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Audrey
Audrey is probably currently our model student as far showing up and going about business the right way. She's only been with us around 5 months, and she is currently in high school level geometry, a tricky class to navigate for students even with strong math backgrounds. We identified that she was rusty on some of what we call our "computational" skills, as well as some of the algebra 1 skills from last year that she would need to be able to apply in geometry, so we spent the first few months polishing up those skills. I don't think we even touched geometry concepts with her until maybe October or November, which is how long it took her to finish honing those prerequisite skills she was lacking, but ever since then, she has been FLYING through material with us, keeping up with or even exceeding the pace of her class at school. For Audrey, is it completely appropriate for us to try to closely follow along with whatever unit she is working on in school because she has proven to us, by crushing some of our assessments, and by knocking out over a dozen pagers per hour with us, that she is ready for this material. When students try to do material with us for which they are not quite ready, or try to balance getting homework help with catching up because they so concerned about "next week's quiz," they just get stuck in this a vicious cycle, which is what we're working hard to save them from.
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Ariana
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It was 90s day at school, and apparently in the 90s we all had mustaches! I wouldn't know because I was only 3. Ariana has spent a few months polishing up some Pre-Algebra skills with us and is now transitioning to Algebra 1 content to prepare for her EOC exam. Right around this time of year is when families start approaching us concerned about their students who may be in danger of failing, or at least, not crushing, their end of course exam for algebra, which is a requirement for graduation and in some cases used as an entrance exam for top tier high schools. We often find that the reason students are struggling to absorb algebra at an efficient rate in school is because they have foundational gaps that need filled in. If the goal is simply to pass the class with a bare minimum 3/5, we might be able to make that happen with a few months of tutoring, depending on how far behind the student currently is. However, if the goal is to actually learn the material well and retain it at a high level to be prepared to perform well in future math classes and college entrance exams, then we definitely need to allow more time to for us to go in and fill in the pre-algebra gaps and get the student on a level so that they're capable crushing the grade level material, not just slogging their way through it. Ariana's parents brought her to us before the school year started because they knew how much content there is to cover in an algebra class, and suspected she had a little catching up to do as well. Please try to be like Ariana's parents and show up before it is too late. I will always try to work with you, but keep in mind we have to work with your student's current level of math ability, and getting them up to a level where they can start crushing math (and retaining it) will take a lot longer than just getting them up to the bare minimum level to pass-which should be your goal if your student is college-bound or does not want to struggle in future high school or college math or science classes.
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Kate
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Congrats to Kate for just getting her driver's permit! Kate has been with us over 5 years, and she is probably the only student we have that gets to do whatever she wants here. She has demonstrated on grade level ability through her most recent assessments, so she simply comes in and utilizes our environment to get her homework done and some occasional help if she needs it, and every week she's telling me she just got a 97 or a 98% on test. For most kids, even if they are on grade level, I would want them to continue working through our curriculum, and then do their own homework at home, so that they're getting that much more practice, but Kate has been able to maintain a level of discipline on her own such that she is able to thrive week after week and is not in danger of starting to fall behind and develop new gaps in her knowledge as the bar continues to rise for her in school test after test. I would expect nothing les from someone that spent years going through our process. Unless your student is like Kate and can crush a grade level assessment, our energy would be much better spent taking the time to work on filling in their gaps and equipping them with the tools they need instead of stressing over next week's quiz every week. I'm not saying there won't be any immediate, short- term payoff in the classroom, but I will say that if your student is struggling in the classroom now, I would expect them to continue struggling until they manage to get through however many months of learning plans it takes with us to get them caught up to grade level.
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Recent Math Nights at Schools!
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We bring the fun to schools by showing up and hosting a fun night of math games and prizes. We recently visited Blake Academy and Griffin Elementary where families enjoyed a couple hours of food and fun, and, rumor has it, a couple lucky kids even walked away with a Nintendo Switch! Are those rumors true? There's only one way to find out-ask us about how you can bring a Mathnasium Math Night to your school soon! We're still booking schools before this year ends and already rebooking for next school year as well. Check out one of these teachers had to say after bringing a Mathnasium Math Night to their school:
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Share the Love of Math! (A "Sweet Deal"!)
This is the month of love, and we're spreading some of our own with a special deal just for you!
Siblings of current students get one month free if they enroll during the month of February. Contact us today to take advantage of this special promotion. Offer ends [2-28-2025].*
*Free month of instruction valid for one month at this location only. 6-month enrollment required.
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We Love Our Instructors!
Mathnasium instructors are dedicated, enthusiastic, and compassionate and have a true desire to help kids learn to love math. We think they're awesome — and our students do, too. Visit our webpage to learn more about our rockstar team! We have had a lot of new faces join us recently.
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Valentine's Day Activity
On Valentine’s Day, we express love with hearts! Our popular Valentine’s Day origami heart activity helps you and your child bring love and math together using shapes and angles. Cruise on over to our Number Sense Blog to download the instructions and see how things (un)fold!
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Math In Nature: Ice Crystals
Did you know that ice crystals are fractals? It's true! The starting point of the fractal is in the middle and, as they form, they expand outward, exhibiting similar patterns at increasingly smaller scales. This property is called "self-similarity" or "unfolding symmetry."
Isn't math in nature wondrous?
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February Happenings
Dates coming your way:
February 2 - Groundhog Day
February 5 - Palindrome Day
February 7 - Mathematical e-Day
February 14 - Valentine's Day
February 17 - Presidents' Day
May February be a magnificently math-y month for you and your family!
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(863) 602-6050
