How To Be a Math Teacher Whether You Want To Or Not

Suddenly the whole world is homeschooling whether they want to be or not. I chose the homeschooling path for my kids years ago so instead of being the odd ones out we’re actually the ones who know what we’re doing for once!

I know everything is crazy and stressful right now. Believe me when I tell you this is not what homeschooling normally looks like. Teaching your kids at home normally provides you with the flexibility to teach your kids in a manner that works best for all of you. You choose the methods that work best for you and your kids and find a system that fits.

Right now we’re all working within the confines of our homes and many of you are trying to follow along with a schedule given to you by your child’s school or teacher. While I hope school guidelines give you some guidance and structure at a time when we all could use a little bit of sanity I’m sure it’s also causing you a ton of stress.

One of the difficult parts of homeschooling is having to teach a subject that might not be your strongest subject to begin with. Take math for example. While you might have been good at math in the old days of borrowing from the tens column and carrying the one, most schools are teaching math in a completely different manner than what we’re used to.

When it comes to helping your kids through math right now I have two pieces of advice:

Fake it ’til you make it

You do not have to be an expert at what your child is learning in order to help them along. In fact, my FAVORITE part of homeschooling is learning along with my kids. Something about getting older gives you a much different perspective on learning. Many things that bored me as a kid are so much more interesting now.

I’ve really enjoyed learning new ways to solve problems along with my kids once I opened my mind up to doing things new ways. I promise, if you keep an open mind, the lightbulb will go off at some point and you will get it while learning with your child. You don’t have to have all the answers, you just have to be willing to help your child find them.

Use every resource available to you

Thank goodness so many virtual resources are available at little to no cost right now. I’ve always had favorite resources for working on math but my list has grown now that there are so many new things to try for free during this time. Here are some of my tried, trusted and new favorites:

Older students- I’ve seen many parents of older kids sharing that they are just as bored as your kids right and are available for homework help. Don’t be afraid to ask a local kiddo to do some virtual tutoring sessions with your kids when the math is too much for you or when you just want to sit for two uninterrupted minutes.

Khan Academy– Most of you have probably already tried this or had it recommended by a teacher. Khan Academy is probably the most trusted free resource for giving age appropriate math instruction that is inline with what the public schools are teacher.

Prodigy– My kids love Prodigy. It’s one of my favorites because the game-like style of the site makes it one that they are always eager to use for practicing math skills.

Teachers-Pay-Teachers– I use this site year round for every subject. Teachers Pay Teachers is full of resources for every grade and subject level created and sold by teachers. Many offer free resources as well. It’s a great way to support our teachers while making our own lives easier.

Outschool– Outschool has tons of virtual classes. You can sign your kids up to learn just about anything and right now they are offering quite a few classes at low to no cost.

More websites for games and tutorials:

ABCya

BrainPop

Beast Academy

Cool Math 4 Kids

Funbrain

iReady– normally offers assessments but is offering free printables for practice right now

Math Games

Splashlearn

Starfall

Udemy– for older kids and adults who need help teaching

Zoodles

No matter what you do right now give yourself and your children lots of grace. We’re all going through a challenging time and we’ll get through it, just like we’ll get through Common Core Math… together.

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