Jeff & Diane Gwirtz

> I had to respond to this very interesting discussion. I tend to wonder
> about foundation information too, Laraine. I strive to be more
> 'unschooling' in my approach...and that is why I am on this list , but I
> still struggle with leaving the math-learning to its own devices.
> I have two friends who are unschoolers through and through. Their children
> now are in high school or have gone to college. Both friends tell me that
> they did not teach math from a text or from a workbook and they both regret
> not keeping up with 'building blocks' of learning math. Their children
> struggled with math when they went mainstream. The struggle was painful
> and it took a long time to catch up. In other subjects they were on top of
> the class but in math they were frustrated. They have advised me to
> unschool in all subjects except in math.
>
>
Here is my personal experience. My daughter was in ps until halfway
through her sophomore year. She was always in advanced math. After
we took her out, we enrolled her in a correspondence program and her
dad tutored her individually through geometry and algebra 2. She
received good grades in both subjects. Still, when she took the
ACT, her math score was not wonderful and she lacks confidence in
her math skills. This semester she is taking intermediate algebra in
college which is basically a refresher/remedial course. The number
of students that end up needing this course is enormous and most of
these kids came out of ps. Dh is a college professor. He feels like
about 1/3 of his students really "get" math. What I'm trying to say is that
structured math in the ps style is no guarantee that the kids aren't
going to struggle. I think losing confidence plays not an
insignificant role. Now, my 13 year old unschooler chooses to do
quite a bit of math. He really "gets" it. I went all the way
through college and was identified as gifted in math. I can honestly
say that I don't get it. Dh (the college prof) flunked 5th grade
math and wasn't considered college material. He not only gets it -
he uses it every day of his life. We will continue to approach math
in an unschooling fashion. If ds wants to enroll in a course, he
certainly can. What's important to me is that he enjoys the math
that he does and he has the confidence to know that he can learn
whatever he needs to.

Diane from KS
jagwirtz@...

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In a message dated 9/4/99 12:45:52 PM EST, jagwirtz@... writes:

<< What I'm trying to say is that
structured math in the ps style is no guarantee that the kids aren't
going to struggle. I think losing confidence plays not an
insignificant role. >>
Amen to that!!! I don't remember 3/4 of what I learned in P.S. math classes
(maybe because much of that has not been used since?). However I do know how
to balance a checkbook, figure out what percentage to take off for a sale,
how to sew a patchwork quilt, how to bake a cake from scratch...so, unless I
had an occupation or interest that required more extensive math skills, I
don't feel a loss! Lori in TX