Math-U-See Opinions and a Homeschool Fraud Alert
By Heather Idoni
Added Thursday, August 13, 2009
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The Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families
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Vol. 10 No 59 August 13, 2009
ISSN: 1536-2035
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Copyright (c) 2009 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net
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Welcome to The Homeschooler's Notebook!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- Virtual Academy Fraud Alert
Helpful Tip
-- Staples Teacher Appreciation
Winning Website
-- How To Do Research
Reader Question
-- Math-U-See Opinions?
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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[July 15, 2010: The following content was voluntarily removed
on 3/31/2010 after receiving a legal threat from Mimi Rothschild's
attorneys. At the time I thought it was prudent to do so. I am now
returning to this published webpage the content that was originally
printed and mailed to my readers on 8/13/2009. As it is summer again
and families are considering programs for the fall, it is much more
important to me that even one family be spared disappointment and
financial loss by doing their own internet research on this matter.]
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Virtual Homeschool Fraud Warning!
---
This is a good time of year to share this info -- hopefully it
will save a few families some potential misery.
Each of the programs listed below is run by the same person --
and they are about the poorest possible choice you could make for
homeschooling your children. Each "academy" is heavily advertised
and well-funded due to the consistent revenue gained from the
defrauding of unsuspecting homeschooling families.
Dozens of respected homeschool resource websites and several
homeschooling magazines refuse to accept advertising from them,
resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in
potential revenue -- simply because they are unwilling to be
associated in ANY WAY with the following organizations:
Morning Star Academy
Learning by Grace
Grace Academy
Jubilee Academy
Southern Baptist Academy
If you are considering ANY of the above programs, please feel
free to email me privately and I will be glad to expound. You
can also Google "Mimi Rothschild scam" or "Learning by Grace scam".
-- Heather
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Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails to: mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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Helpful Tip
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"For those of you who may not have thought of it, as homeschooling
parents, we are teachers. As such, we are eligible for teacher
reward programs at different vendors. I've signed up at Staples,
which is just the same as the normal customer appreciation form,
except you mark down the grades you teach and the school name (our
house has a name, so I just wrote it down - if you don't have a
'school name' this might be a fine time to think of a fun name, and
even mascot and school colors... but I digress).
Yesterday I found out that spiral bound notebooks (with 70 sheets
of lined paper) are one cent right now... there's a limit of six,
unless you are a teacher... then you can get 25! Also, in a few days
(August 22nd) our local Staples is having a Teacher Appreciation day
with lots of give-aways and special prices. You can check online at
Staples.com to see if your local store is doing something similar...
or just stop by a local store.
I thought you'd like to know so you can stop by this week, sign up
for a Teacher Discount Card, and get your pile of notebooks. Then,
in a few days, you can swing by and get free goodies!
Happy School Year to All of You!" -- Suzy
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Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send to: mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
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Winning Website
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http://www.kyvl.org/kids/homebase.html
From the Kentucky Virtual Library, this site is a special research
portal and information literacy tutorial designed for grades K-5.
Through its interactive gameboard format, the site takes students
through the entire process of research -- from picking a topic
through a self-evaluation rubric for the project. Great site!
--- Special thanks to The Homeschool Mom's 'Site of the Week' for
featuring this resource!
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Last Issue's Reader Question
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"I would like to know if anyone has tried the Math-U-See program.
As you all know, homeschooling can be expensive at times. My two
homeschooled children, 12 and 13, have learning disabilities. This
seems like a great program, but I would like some unbiased feedback
(and not just off of their site). Of course, they wouldn't print
anything negative. Let me know whether or not it is a case of
'too-good-to-be-true'." -- Shelly T.
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Our Readers' Responses
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"I've now used this program from beginning to end -- we started
using it with my oldest, after trying Math tutors and even a
private school. To make a long story short, when he turned 16 he
took a part time job at a farm store, and ended up helping the
public school kids with their math! (And HE AIN'T NO math wiz!)
He felt very proud of himself, and it was challenging enough for
our 2nd oldest, who IS a math wiz! Now I am using it with our 2
younger ones." -- Kim in KS
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"Shelly -- I did use Math-U-See very briefly some years ago when
my two oldest were having trouble understanding some basic math
concepts. I like the books, the manipulatives, and the video.
We only used it a short time because the girls quickly 'got' what
they weren't getting. I have seven children and the youngest has
Down Syndrome. I am planning on getting out those books, etc. to
use with her when the time comes. I thought it was a good program
for anyone having trouble understanding the concepts. Also, I'm
looking forward to using it again, because it was so hands-on and
easy for a child to 'get it'. For us it was very helpful... I
hope you find it helpful too." -- Mary in DE
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"My daughter changed from Saxon to Math-U-See two or three years
ago. She's moderately dyslexic. Her whole attitude and ability
in math changed overnight. She's just finished Algebra 1 without
a whimper. I really appreciate their program. My other younger
daughter still likes her Saxon. She hasn't tried Math-U-See,
though." -- Suzanne
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"Hi Shelly -- Last year I purchased all MUS -- from primer through
Zeta -- and my 12 year old son did every book. I was planning on
saving it for my 4 year old (who also did many lessons in the
primer), but I have since changed my mind. Let me start by saying
that I loved MUS; I thought the teacher a bit dry, but great as a
teacher and even funny sometimes. It is a well-rounded curriculum
and teaches in a very hands-on explanatory manner. Here is what
I didn't like about it: It was so 'unconventional' that my math
brain could not wrap itself around the way he was teaching. I am
a math person and found it extremely difficult to change gears.
When my son was explaining how to solve the problem and I didn't
understand what he was saying to me, it caused us to have a
communication breakdown. My brain is trained to do math the way
it was taught in school, but MUS teaches you to do math in a very
hands-on and concrete way. It made sense, the lessons and all,
but I couldn't translate it back to know if my son was actually
learning anything. If your child is a very hands-on visual learner
and you are going to take the time to sit and do each lesson with
them, and learn this method yourself, then -- yes -- this would be
a great program. But if you are looking for independence and not
doing each lesson with them, then I'd say this is not the program
you are looking for." -- Trish in FL
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"My son (10) was having trouble with Saxon and we moved to
Math-U-See. It works with the 4 basic concepts (easy-hard-harder).
When my son finished he was doing some problems that wouldn't be
covered in the same grade level. My son hated math. It isn't
his favorite now, but there a better attitude. I feel it is
slowly helping him to make some sense of story problems, but
there is still more to conquer.
I am making the change to Math-U-See for my younger son (7).
I have been worried because we are in the process of testing
for dyslexia with him. I saw on a website and in the book
'The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Dyslexia', that
Math-U-See was listed under curriculum materials and support.
Someone mentioned 'Touch Math' also.
Math-U-See is not colorful, and that can hinder students with
ADD and other learning difficulties. The page is not overwhelming
with problem after problem. It averages about 15-20 per page.
There are several pages for practice and several for review of old
and new material. Math-U-See may give a clearer understanding of
math concepts in the long run -- and it may not be seen right
away. I am still new to the program." -- Nancy
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"I started using Math-U-See after 6 years of other math programs.
I sure do wish we had started with Math-U-See! I can't say enough
about how much it has revolutionized our homeschooling! There used
to be so much stress and even tears when it came to math. Now my
kids do their math with little to no resistance and are able to
finish each day's lesson in much less time than before. The biggest
difference is that they focus on helping the student actually
understand what they are doing -- which makes it all much easier.
They teach things in the best way possible with tips and 'tricks'
that make math so much easier for the student. I HIGHLY recommend
Math-U-See to everyone I come in contact with in the homeschooling
community. I have been SO very pleased with it!"
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"Hi, Shelly -- We have used Math-U-See for many years, currently
for our 14 and 7 year olds. My 7 year old has learning issues and
I just do one page per day to ensure that he understands what he
is doing. Therefore there is no pressure on him or me. We do
every page with him to ensure understanding.
My 14 year old likes it as well and we cover one full lesson per
week -- usually missing 1-2 pages per week, depending on his
understanding of the lesson topic.
I wouldn't go back to any other program now. It works as they
claim! It is a hands-on program and, to me, well worth the cost."
-- Michelle in Australia
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"Hi -- I used Math-U-See with 3 of my children. We started our
oldest with the Primer and went through Delta with her; Beta with
the next oldest, and Alpha with the third. For us it wasn't a
good fit and it began to be a cause for much distress. I think
though it has to do with the mastery approach. My children do
better with a spiral approach to math because they get bored
working with the same thing all year long." -- Leslie
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"My sister-in-law has used Math-U-See for years and loves it.
I am just beginning homeschooling this year and have received
my Math-U-See curriculum and plan to begin using it in 2 weeks.
We are very excited! From what I have seen so far, I am really
impressed with it." -- Becky
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"I tried Math-U-See with my 8-year-old daughter last year. It
does have some good qualities to it, like how the author explains
the teen numbers and twenty (one-T one, one-T two, etc.) Overall
though, I was disappointed. It went way too slow for my daughter's
abilities, and it ended up being boring for her.
We are trying Right Start Mathematics this year. I encourage you
to look into that one before you decide. The author studied the
Japanese way of doing math in order to write this curriculum. It
is expensive too, but I have high hopes for it." -- Mary
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Answer our NEW Question
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"Can anyone recommend a home school photography course for a 14
year old boy? Alabama requires some art in order to graduate. He
isn't artistic, but loves to take photos. I'm fairly sure that a
photography course will satisfy Alabama's art requirement." -- Ronda
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Do you know of a resource for Ronda's son to use?
Please send your answer to: mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
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