Compared to Singapore Math

So once we realized MCP was not for us it was off to try something else. We used a lot of Sonlight (still love and use many of their books) so I decided to try Singapore Math. I have to admit that this eliminated the problem with too much drill. But I soon found out that it was a bad thing, for us anyway. My two oldest children were in and out of different schools during their 1st-3rd  grade years, so much of the basic education was taught by the schools. They did not have their math facts memorized to efficiency so that kept them from excelling to higher levels in the end.

** Can’t stress enough the importance of memorizing the math facts! Third grade is especially critical in learning those multiplication facts. So Singapore is good if you supplement and rely a great deal on your own teaching skills, this again demands a lot of the parent-teacher.

In comparison, I think Teaching Textbooks (TT) does give enough drill and is very comprehensive over time. It is presented simply, as Singapore Math is, but even though its simple, there is still enough daily drill to master concepts. It also requires very little of the parent teacher and keeps a grade book for you in the elementary years, which is fantastic! Yes, you still need to be available to assist and direct your child but it is designed for independence.

Compared to Saxon

Moving on now, after Singapore I chose Saxon.  I have heard it is good in the first to third grades, but once it hits fourth grade it changes entirely. We used it in late middle school and early high school years, but not without strife.   I used it for both my older two for Algebra 1/2 and Algebra. It was very difficult. I chose it because I trusted in it’s quality, but it ended up too challenging for many reasons:

1. Too much drill. Explanations were easy for me to understand… but I am an adult and I have taken Algebra before, but for a beginner I think it was overkill. Explanations could be simpler.
2. It required way too much of the parent-teacher. The Dive CD’s are good and are in the same direction of the TT CD’s but I found that for my kids, I still had to re-explain most of the material and we ended up not using them. So unless your child is advanced (in that case it may be great for you) I don’t recommend.
3. I also didn’t like the way there was no separation of Geometry. Because even though my kids did get some Geometry in it, that could not easily be represented on a high school transcript.
   Saxon ultimately slowed us down. I feel like if I had started them in High School with TT Algebra (9th), Geometry (10th), Algebra 2 (11th) and then Pre-Calculus (12th)… I know they would have done very well. And their transcript would look much better too. With Saxon it always took us more than a year to finish, or we just didn’t finish the book.

Now, with caution I stress……don’t panic too much. Even if your child is struggling in math, he can go to college someday. My oldest son, the one who was deemed ADHD has gone on to college and is getting his degree in Network Security, a Science degree. He got an A in his college physics class though we never did that in high school. He took Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Consumer Math in High school. What you choose for them in high school IS very important, but there are many ways to give your child the education you want and they need. It also depends on the route they want to take. It is OK if there is struggle in an area…in fact, it is normal. You just have to do the work. If you lack expertise in an area you can find alternatives and solutions.

Compared to A Beka

With my youngest after MCP Kindergarten we went to A Beka. I loved A Beka and credit it with his very strong base in Math. I did have to adapt the lessons from the teachers guide. I recommend just using the work text which is very affordable, but if you use the teachers guide just beware of a lesson that lasts over an hour. For me more than 45 min. for first- third grade is too much.

One thing to note is that after doing A Beka for second and third grade, my son tested into 4th grade TT as a third grader. For some kids TT in the early elementary may be too easy. But it definitely seems to level off by fourth or fifth grade to being appropriate challenge while remaining simple. It is perfect for the homeschooling environment as long as you like the idea of a computer based program. It may not be a good fit for the gifted in math child, but for the average student or for those of us less strong in math, it’s amazing!

There are numerous other good math programs out there but since I have no experience there I can’t help. I hope if your interested in Teaching Textbooks that this will help you make an informed decision. This review is a personal review. I am one homeschool mom happy to have finally found a good fit for our math program.

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