What?!

       I tried.

              I panicked.

                        I was tempted to swear.

And then I confessed. I had not even looked at the lesson before we sat down.

I gave him a lighter math assignment and sent him on his way and then I repented of my sin.

I found a quiet place and worked out the math. I may have shed blood, but I don’t want to freak out any of you who are still teaching your kids shapes.

Finally, I figured it all out and I created my notes.

I am happy to report that the next day I was able to happily teach my son about ratios being related to one another. Half way through the lesson I paused and said, “This is what it like to be taught by a teacher who is prepared. It’s better isn’t it?”

He said, “Definitely!”


Question: What is the Most Critical Mistake to Avoid when Teaching Algebra (or challenging subject)
Answer: Faking itAs a Homeschooler, you may struggle with the math level your children are currently learning, but if you are no prepared you will frustrate them and set them up for failure. They may even just adopt our “You don’t need this skill to buy milk” attitude and never press into the subject. By being unprepared, we teach our kids it’s ok to do mediocre work. Yikes!Steps to Teaching Algebra (or other challenging Material)

1. Admit that it is challenging for you. Do not fake understanding.

2. Commit yourself to learning the material. I know. There is laundry in the living room, the baby needs their diaper changed, and dinner needs to be made before tomorrow’s breakfast. If you are going to teach the material, you need to understand the material.

• Set aside 30 minutes to study tomorrow’s math/challenging subject.
• Take notes
• Do the lesson (I do at least half of my son’s Algebra lesson before he does so I can explain it properly)
• Get help if needed. There are all kinds of online helps to assist you. Khan academy is one of my favorites.
• Work through the challenging material together. For instance, my son knows I do not remember chemistry or advanced biology. We work through the vocabulary and concepts together. But with math, I have to be a step ahead of him. Math is challenging enough without having your teacher say, “first, you do this. Wait, that’s not right, try this. Shoot, that didn’t work either.”

3. Get Help. If you simply cannot figure out how to do the material, you can get your kids tutors. Not all tutors need to cost you an arm and a leg. It’s not a crime to enroll your child in a high school or community college class either. Our local high school allows homeschoolers to take single classes. That’s a great option. Our local community college allows students to take their junior and senior high school classes and they earn both high school and college credit.

When I tried to fake my way through my son’s Algebra lesson I really created quite a dramatic scene.
He deserved better from me.

Truth: Our kids may not all be learning Algebra and ratios today, but they do all deserve our best.

I can’t say that I will never fail again because that would make me a repeat liar, but I am determined to be better prepared each day.

How about you? Have you ever “lied” to your kids?

Confession is good for the soul…

Preview of the Heart of Homeschooling God’s Way Master Class.

We need to STOP measuring success by grades, achievements, awards, and worksheets.