{"id":11727,"date":"2020-02-25T16:55:33","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T21:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nche.com\/?p=11727"},"modified":"2021-01-27T15:57:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T20:57:49","slug":"article-math-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nche.com\/uk\/article-math-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Math Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” column_structure=”2_3,1_3″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]Fall 2019 \/ Math Spotlight with Homeschool Mom Lisha Thigpen<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

NCHE: Lisha, thank you for sharing wisdom with our members.\u00a0 You have a background in math. Tell us a little bit more about yourself.<\/b><\/p>\n

I have been married to my husband for twenty-two years.\u00a0 Our kids are fifteen, thirteen, twelve, and four.\u00a0I love to teach.\u00a0Teenagers are my favorite age group. Helping out in the youth group at my church is my favorite place of service. I currently teach in a local co-op (science). I also teach two upper level math classes from my home during the school year.\u00a0English is my second language.\u00a0Math is my first.<\/span><\/p>\n

NCHE: So were all of your children born just automatically wanting to know more about Fibonacci and the order of operations?<\/b><\/p>\n

My three older kids were math haters most of the way. They are slowly coming around and no longer name it as the worst subject ever. I had to come up with a different strategy for the youngest, so I declared the kids could not teach her the alphabet until she was able to count to twenty! Of course I\u2019m kidding, but so far she loves math!<\/span><\/p>\n

NCHE: Why does math scare so many parents?<\/b><\/p>\n

Math is the one subject that so many people wrongly believe you either <\/span>get<\/span><\/i> or you <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0They don\u2019t see a middle ground. I think that maybe they either had a bad teacher or two along the way or hold negative ideas about math for some reason (maybe both).\u00a0As with so many other things, we fear what we don\u2019t understand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NCHE: Is math anxiety real or a misconception?<\/b><\/p>\n

It is real\u2014I have seen it.\u00a0 I think math anxiety is rooted in negative beliefs. \u201cI can\u2019t do it\u201d becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.\u00a0You must be able to see it in the world around you. Math is the subject that takes repeated practice; it is a foreign language.\u00a0You can\u2019t just learn a set of static vocabulary terms and expect to be fluent. Immersion is the best source of acquisition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NCHE: What is the advice about math that you most often give homeschooling parents?<\/b><\/p>\n

Grades K-6 have many opportunities to learn basic skills.\u00a0 It is OK to spend two years in the third-grade math book if multiplication is hard. Go slower, play lots of hands-on games, and give them real life experiences using the math. Then it will become second nature\u2014like riding a bicycle.\u00a0Even if they don\u2019t use it for a while, it will come back with just a little practice if it is grounded in real application. Fourth grade math is basically the same skills with bigger numbers. Just go through the book and practice the new skills. Make sure the basics are solid (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) before you move on to new concepts.\u00a0You don\u2019t have to do every problem or every lesson. If your child has multiplication down pat, then move on and spend more time on something else. You have the freedom to move at their pace!<\/span><\/p>\n

NCHE: So many people say, \u201cI am never going to use this in everyday life!\u201d Math folks like yourself would say, \u201cOh yes we do!\u201d How do average people use math every day\u2014without maybe realizing it?<\/b><\/p>\n