I have to be honest. I have a favorite math curriculum that I use in my homeschool. Yet what I learned was, my ninth grader was not a fan. My eleventh grader loves it and my second grader loves it, but not everything will work for all kids. That is the true joy of homeschooling though, we can adapt and adjust to each child. My ninth grader flat out said to me that he did not want to be sitting in front of a screen for his classes, and the math curriculum I general use is online-based. I listened to him and asked if he was open for a compromise. I asked him if he would be willing to take a math course that had one video tutorial per week (on a DVD) and then he could work through the concepts in a workbook, with my help if needed.
He thought that was a great idea which is what let us to begin Math-U-See Geometry. Part of the Timberdoodle 9th Grade Curriculum Kit, I knew the flow of the Math-U-See courses and thought it would be a good fit for my son. I was absolutely right!
The way the lessons are set up, work well for him. There is a lesson a week. He watches a DVD lesson (these are also available online with your purchase but my son prefers the DVD) that comes in the book. Then there are five lessons that can be worked on throughout the week using the concept that was taught on day one. If my son gets stuck on a concept, he can rewatch the video or come to me. I was nervous the first time he came for help, but there was no need for me to worry. All of the concepts are written out in the teacher's manual. As I began to go though the manual, everything I learned in high school geometry came back to me and I was able to help him better than I thought I would.
He is able to work though the work in his workbook and the answers for the workbook pages and the tests are available to me in the teacher's key. The entire course is straight-forward and simple—even when the concepts are not. I appreciate the video instructions from the creator of the program, Steve Demme. He clearly has a heart for teaching and a heart for kids.
For my son that is generally fairly average in math, he has been learning the concepts. The course has regular tests to see where they stand. My son has had average to above-average grades this entire school year thus far, which is a huge step in the right direction. With his other course, he would often struggle and have to repeat lessons to master a concept. With this course, he has never had a failing mark and is confident when it comes to understanding new concepts. He does have to come ask for help once in a while but for the most part, this course consists of independent work. It works well in our homeschool environment.
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