How can I help my child when I don’t even understand it? This is the question in many parents’ head.
We all have different opinions about how Maths was taught to us then as compared to how Maths is taught now to our children. Some might be right and some may be not be. However, I believe it does not matter too much, as in both generations there were always pupils in every class who still did very well at Maths and got top marks. If we tell ourselves things are not going to work out with our children’s Maths over and over and over again, after a while there is a danger of starting to believe it. Whether the teacher has taught the right way or the wrong way, our role is more than the teacher’s job. The role we play as parents is key.
My son just started secondary school, and I have no worries about how Maths will be taught to him, regardless of whether it was going to be the old method or the new method. I had made sure that he was already exposed to secondary school Maths upfront from home. Was it hard? Yes. Was it hassle? Yes. Did it mean I had to find time out of no time? Yes, certainly. However that’s no different from a lot of other things we have to do as parents, have had to do as parents, and will still do in future as parents. What does it matter whether its Maths or rugby that we are spending so much time trying to get to grips with, in order to help our children?
In any case, as I always say, what matters the most is the foundation you build from home. It’s the culture that you build and the management of what your child is learning upfront in Maths that does the trick the best. It’s actually a very simple philosophy. Period. Trust me and just take this one step. You will find that higher levels of Maths will be easy enough to grasp for them. The primary school Maths is what they need to grasp without question. Everything else is ‘graspable’ after that, if there’s such a word.
