Why? Because they have the opportunity to socialize with a broad range of people of a variety of ages. Homeschoolers – at least most homeschoolers – are out in the world all day, not sitting at home. For us, our days are filled with Girl Scouts, swimming lessons, gymnastics, homeschool social group, a monthly homeschool class, a monthly homeschool book group, skiing, grocery shopping, game group, play dates, trips to the park, trips to the library. And, there is still time for just hanging out at home because the majority of the day isn’t being taken up by school.

Think back to your school experience. How often did the teachers tell you, “You’re not here to socialize?”

Plus, just being around other children their own age day in and day out is more fun and educational than being at home with Mom & Dad – and only Mom & Dad.

Just learning to live in a world with other people is in itself, an education.

I hope I didn’t offend. As you know, I’m not a parent. I’m just offering my POV.

The problem with education is that kids don’t know what they’re going to with their life professionally, so you have to teach everything. It’s OK thought… kids are sponges. :)

My 10 year old is bright, good with numbers and engaged in her learning. She’s learned math at her own pace because we’re unschoolers. I know she’s not missing out by not doing all the repetition. She knows the concepts and can figure most anything out.

She didn’t have to learn to add multiple columns of digits before learning multiplication because we answered her questions as they came up.

When she was 6, she knew more about fractions than her 10 year old cousin who was learning fractions in school mostly because we’d done a lot of cooking together.

Now, when she took her 3rd grade assessment (required for homeschoolers in our state), she only did average in the section on math drill. However, she did well above average on applied math. Yeah, she doesn’t sit down and do endless worksheets, but she knows how to use math and is comfortable with it in the real world. Which is more important?

I love math. I have a degree in computer engineering and math is a favorite of mine. I still disagree with the repetition and with having to learn math that has no relevance to your life.

I’m worried about my 6 year old. He likes numbers and is good with them. He really dislikes the worksheets that he’s required to do for school. I worry that he’ll come to not love math because of being forced to do it. We’ll see.

For now, I know that going to school is best for him. I worry that it’ll beat the love of learning out of him eventually, though.

the others have given reasons for the math so I don’t need to go into that. If you are not seeing the point of the repetition, there are several options.

First, if he thinks he has learned it, and doesn’t want to repeat all of them, let him not complete the sheets and take the consequence. Some children need the repetition, some do not. Tell him that, and by also doing the repetition, it helps those that do need it not to feel singled out.

If he is freaking out because the method changes, then he clearly isn’t getting it. There are a lot of ways you can work with him to help him understand it. Manipulatives are good, as well as items to compare. If they are doing volume, for example, take out a container of milk. Ask him to estimate “how many containers of milk” do you think fit in the swimming pool, bedroom, etc. This will help give him a feel for the numbers, so he can “own” them, as it were.

As well, when converting, be sure he identifies which unit is bigger / smaller, this will help him with which “direction” to move the decimal point.

Take him to the grocery story, have him estimate masses of vegetables, for example, and then use the balance to see if he is right. Try to fit the measurements into your daily rituals.

These concepts are difficult for students, and the repetition is actually good for them. They will need them all through middle and high school, and if they go into any profession needing math of any sort (mechanic, engineer, etc) they will need to be able to deal with conversions.

The other thing it teaches them is that sometimes you need to do things you don’t like, and you need to do them well. THAT is a VERY good life lesson! *grin*

Oldest One is extremely curious. He’ll spend HOURS regaling me with stories of how a certain thing works or acts or telling me about something that he learned.

Multiple worksheets of numbers means nothing to him. He’s already learned the “look back at your earlier work and just use that” method! Which means he’s also not memorizing anything or figuring out how to do it, and when the method switches slightly, he freaks out. Cries. Loses his mind because it’s DIFFERENT.

The problem is that school is.. catering to the lowest common denominator. THERE, I SAID IT. And there are too many kids to even attempt a personalization of the teaching beyond group work…

And.. and.. and…

Yargh.

Math is awesome! Math every day in big or littlle or important or unimportant ways… is AWESOME!

Let me tell you why.

Math doesn’t change. 10 mm today and tomorrow will be 1 cm. That will never change. A squared plus B squared will ALWAYS equal C squared. In a world where everything AND I DO MEAN EVERYTHING changes, math remains constant. I found it insanely calming at various points in my life. I had to take math every day in college, for all four semesters, and as much as I hated some of the units, I LOVED the class. It kept me sane. It calmed me down. It was a routine I could count on.

The only A+ I ever got in a college course (not a test, but the whole course!) was Math.

I

I feel your pain though… we had loads of homework tears last night.