Remember my post about my fear of teaching math? Well, I am very happy to report that I worked myself up over nothing. The four processes were so much easier to teach than I expected, once I actually got over my fear and did it, that is! C picked them up straight away. She loved meeting Porter Plus, Michael Minus, Tabby Times and Donald Division (Waldorf math teaches all four processes at the same time, I rather wish I learned that way!). I started out with very simple problems and about five problems in she asked me if I could please make them a lot harder. Here I was thinking it was going to be such a struggle and it ended up being too easy for her! Phew!! I suddenly have confidence in teaching!!We have since rotated back to a language arts block and have given math a time to rest but continue with some math in our morning circle time. I am realizing now that a key to math for my children is doing our daily circle time which incorporates math. I can truly understand why the Waldorf schools do this. Math was always K's favorite subject in school but then when we started homeschooling it became her least favorite. She seemed to forget everything she was taught. I felt like such a failure (maybe that's why I feared teaching math to C). Skipping over those circle times played a big part in it, and I see the proof of that now. Since I started math with C and doing our daily math verses, skip counting on the balance beam, movement, etc. K has picked up her love of math again. She loves joining in and now asks for daily math work. She just wants to sit and do math all day long. Her confidence is back! I am so grateful for all that these lessons have brought our way. I think I am beginning to love math myself!
