Math Problems

Yesterday, I was grading Joshua’s and Ruth’s math work. I saw that despite all the drilling on division, Joshua was still not understanding long division.  I had given him many examples on the board.  I even began to wonder if someone else could explain it better than I can.  That is a dangerous worry that goes through many homeschooling moms’ heads when faced with what feels like a road block in their child’s education.

I always have to stop myself, and realize that if my child were in a classroom setting he would have the same difficulty.  I imagine the teacher would just give him homework and then either he would get behind and fail or bring the work home where I would have to teach it to him anyway.  So as all homeschooling Moms must do, I think of the best way to solve the problem. (Pun intended.)  

I knew that what Joshua needed was to do several problems himself.  I told him that division was a very systematic thing.  What you do to one number you do to the other numbers.   I had him go to the board and I gave him a problem to write down.  He wrote it on the board.  I then told him okay solve the problem.

He started tensing up and getting all worried about it.  I asked him what he was to do first.  He got that part right and then froze.  I asked him, “Okay, Now what do you do?”  

He then made a mistake and I very animatedly had the number he messed up complain, “No! Don’t push that big number into me.  It won’t fit!!!”  He at first wasn’t sure if I was making fun of him or just making math fun.  I was helping him with the numbers talking, he started figuring out what he was doing wrong, and getting tickled at the animated numbers on the board.  At one point he accidently put a number that was suppose to go on top of the line under the numbers, that poor number hollered, “Aaahhh!!! I fell off the table!  Help!” 

Finally, after a few rounds of division he was making less mistakes and the numbers quit talking to him.  He started getting every problem right and he announced the very rewarding words, “Wow! Math is fun! Are there any more problems?”

Those words right there do a homeschooling mom’s heart good.  I smiled and said, “See. I knew you could do it.”