It hasn't happened yet, but what do I do when DD goes further in math than I know? I can manage through about Algebra II. I haven't seen geometry since I was in ninth grade so that has me nervous. I was planning on sending her to the community college, but they just implemented this really stupid self study program for anything less than College algebra. I won't put her through that! She really does better talking about it or hearing about it in a lecture type format. We talk a LOT about math. What did you do? Edie
Learn more math. I know that sounds trite, but that's the bottom line. You find a curriculum that will teach you as well as teach her. I plan on using Math-you-see for upper level courses because I don't know it well enough myself. The MUS videos will teach me exactly how to teach my boys. There are other curriculum out there that will work similarly.
You know more than me! :lol: You have three choices. You can learn with your student. I do it all the time. You can place your student with a tutor for math or you can purchase a curriculum that is on DVD so the student can see and hear the instruction.
You teach your child to learn for himself. You give her the student book and the teacher book and she can teach herself. That is the whole beauty of homeschooling. Gosh if you can do Algebra 2 you are ahead of most homeschoolers. And geometry is way easier than algebra 2. Don't worry about the future, when you get there you will cope.
I'm already running into this in other subjects. I want my kids to know world geography (I don't). I want my kids to have a firm grasp of US History (I don't). A few weeks ago, I spent a few days really educating myself on prehistoric plants. I had ZERO knowledge prior. I know that's a bit different from math- but I think the principles will be the same: If I don't know something, I learn it thoroughly before I have to teach it. For me, that means I pull from multiple sources, read read read, watch as many documentaries as I can possibly find, and try to be as much of an 'expert' on the subject as I can be so that my kids can continue to learn. And if something gets missed, and they ask a question I CAN'T answer, I find out. I imagine when they get to high school level, they'll be capable of finding a lot of the answers themselves.
You beat your head on a wall (out of sight of said child of course, dare they think your crazy) and curse the public school that supposedly taught you. You stay up late at night watching a bizillion (yes, it's a word) youtube videos to try and figure it before tomorrow. You secretly skip a bunch of lessons ahead so they don't catch on that you have no idea what your doing. You quickly throw in a whole new set of curriculum starting with lesson one. Say your going to the bathroom and call one of your "SMART" friends that actually "gets" what your teaching. Have them explain it to you in laymens terms. Give them their diploma and send them on their way! Sorry I couldn't resist. On a serious note going over the lessons a day or two ahead to make sure you know and understand the work that needs to be done works swimmingly. I just so happen to have one of those kids that actually knows a little more than me and she has no problem rubbing it in my face when she has figured something out before me. That happened today! I spent a good 20 minutes trying to figure out an algebra problem still didn't get it moved on and when she got to it took her all of maybe 1 minute. She's my brainiac! She's fourteen and wants to graduate this year!
My kids passed me up long time ago, I just keep learning with them or slightly ahead of them in science1 I hated it back in school so ignored anything but what I had to do. I liked the experiments and writing up reports, but I did not retain it. So now I choose curriculum that teaches it for me. Same with Math, I loved math though, I just bought the kind that they can learn from the DVD and then I just follow along for a refresh and figure out a few things I struggled with as a kid are really easy with MUS!
i asked this same question a while back. It's already happening in math for us. I don't know what that stuff is. A friend of mine is a retired math teacher, she was nice enough to offer her services. So I don't have to look at it. YAY! Just kidding but not really. Math makes my head hurt. I can handle everything else but math eewh.
This is exactly the question my smug inlaws sked me when I announced this summer that I was going to hs. They just smirked at my answer that I would learn along with my children, but that doesn't matter. I really do learn sth before I teach them, and I am never afraid to let them know that I dont know sth... We're doing dinosaurs right now, and I had to relearn a lot of the stuff, even though I've had it in school a long time ago. As far as math is concerned, we're using Saxon, and I'm really liking it. Right now we're on a level I can handle, 3rd grae, but I love the way it tells you exaclty how to prepare the lesson for the enxt day, how to explain it, etc... My kids also go to a parttime ps school exclusively for hs'ers, its k-12, meets every friday, and they offer FREE college courses for the highshoolers. My boys are going to be enrolling in advanced math classes when they're at that age!!
I am thinking I am going to run into this before 1st grade is over... DD is very bright and I only have to read her spelling words to her once before she knows them. I am terrible at spelling. I am sure at 6 years old she can spell some words I can't. Thankfully I am planning to learn right along with her. We have already run into things I did not know. I never learned what special sounds were. I did a ton of reading up on-line first and now I know them. I am sure I will do the same as the grades progress.
Better yet, have them by your side as you search, so they learn your thought process, and learn together. It's far more fun, and will teach them judgment about the online world. One year I was homeschooling a group of kids, and they couldn't wait for search time! 3 was a good group size. The child at the computer, and 2 watching and taking part in thinking of search words. It was amazing how one site led to another so well, with 7 and 8 year olds directing. I read a lot to them, but gradually they took over. (The other kids were elsewhere working quietly...but definitely awaiting their search time!) They also learned how to tell trashy, useless info from the real thing quite quickly. And one of these was a struggling reader! Lots of fun.
If you can find a good outside method of teaching it, learn with your child...then have them teach it to you. Teaching something is the best way to learn it. Also, this is a good resource: http://www.khanacademy.org/
My highest math was Geometry, and Rachael took Calculus last year, so I hear you! That's why I love, love, love Teaching Textbooks! We started her in Geometry with them, and she's done the math from that point on all independently. Upper science I send to the co-op. She'll be taking College Calculus this year (Senior year) at the local community college.
Hi I have one beyond me in some ways already. Ds loves robotics and is mechanically minded. I am NOT mechanically minded I am really creatively minded though. So my solution is to make unit studies, courses up on the topics he wants. Its harder then the rest of our homeschool has been no doubt. But I am hoping the rewards for him will be worth the late nights I put in learning about topics I had no idea I would ever learn or attempt to learn about. But its so exciting for me to see the progress he makes in learning. And its good for me to stretch my brain cells
Have you looked into LEGO robotics? Phillip did it last year, and LOVED it. Unfortunately, his team folded this year because the mentor decided not to come back (and didn't bother telling us until it was too late to do something about it :evil: !) http://www.firstlegoleague.org/
