November 27, 2017

Are You Still Wasting Your Money on Curriculum That Isn’t Working?

Hello everyone! We’re jumping back into the blogging game after a whirlwind summer! What a crazy year it has been! Most of you may know by now that we wrapped up our latest course UnLock Geometry, attended numerous homeschooling conventions across North America which gave us the opportunity to meet both current and new customers in person! We took a family trip to South Dakota and shortly after getting home we had an unexpected family emergency that landed us back on the road to Matthew’s hometown of Lagrange, GA. As winter is fast approaching we finally have a chance to catch our breath and settle into our day-to-day routine; we are so THANKFUL to have this time to regroup and adjust to our normal lives again!

As many of you know, fall is coming to an end and winter fast approaching; this fall has been exceptionally warm and enjoyable this year which has been great but as it starts to get darker earlier and the temperature drops the “winter blues” start to set in. This can affect everyone differently, but restlessness and discontentment are a few words that come to mind when thinking about the long winter ahead (Canadian winters seem to never end some years!)

Find the right curriculum for your family

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been watching numerous posts pop up on my Facebook feed from parents expressing their frustration and dissatisfaction with their current math curriculum. New customers who have signed up for our courses have voiced their child’s struggles with programs and how they just are not “getting it”. The season change brings to light any issues parents are having with their current curriculum as they make it past those initial weeks and start settling into the courses (each with unique teaching styles). As a company that provides math courses to homeschooling families we always notice a jump in inquiries and sales around this time of year; not because they’re just hopping around looking for the next best thing but because what they have is NOT working for their child(ren).

Consider your child(ren)’s specific learning needs

Shopping around for a curriculum that works for your child and their specific needs can be intimidating and leave parents frustrated; sometimes the only way to know for sure is to just try it and see. Some programs offer extensive practice and repetition to master concepts, some parents may choose to take the “unschooling” method, while other programs may move from concept to concept without giving the students the time to practice and master concepts before building and applying them to more complex concepts. Not only can this be tricky to figure out before buying but it is even more stressful for parents looking for the best option suited for their child’s needs (or larger families where each child has a different learning style). These are all things we have experienced in our own family as each of our children have a unique learning style; what worked for our oldest son was not always the best option when our second oldest reached the same grade level.

Consider their unique learning style(s)

This is where our program comes in; I don’t want to try and convince you that this is the math curriculum for you because it may not be. But what I do want to cover in this portion are the features we have taken into consideration and incorporated into our program with you in mind. We have worked tirelessly to include various features and content structures to not only make your job as a home educator easier but to alleviate the struggles and anxieties your child(ren) may be facing when it comes to math. Alesia has been a certified teacher for 17 years now and has seen the struggles and needs of her students throughout her time working in the education system. Since developing UnLock Math into the program it is today, the customer feedback has been incredibly valuable and taken into consideration with each course that is developed.

UnLock Math provides a safe virtual classroom for their students and a website that lays out daily lessons in a clear and concise manner so that students know what is to be completed. Each lesson contains a video and a set of full reference notes that break concepts down into bite-size chunks so that students can take the time to fully grasp concepts before building in complexity. We provide various types of questions, so your child can master the concept; we know how overwhelming math can be at first so we have designed each of our practice questions to appear one at a time and give immediate feedback before moving on to the next. If they need extra practice, Great! If not, they can carry on with the next activity or lesson. For parents, we provide progress reports and a gradebook to make keeping track of your child’s progress that much easier for you!

Consider your preferred teaching style

With so many different teaching methods combined with our program, we have seen positive results from students struggling with understanding math. Students who have always dreaded math have experiences success and a sense of accomplishment when mastering new concepts. As homeschooling parents, we all know the stress and dread that can come with teaching math; with our program, we take care of all of that for you. It’s like bringing the teacher right into your home and looking after everything for you! Here at UnLock Math, we have had parents contact us saying what a difference they have noticed in their child’s success and attitude when it comes to math, including children on the spectrum, with ADHD and Dyscalculia and more. We love hearing success stories from our customers because it’s always encouraging to hear that others are just as excited about these courses as we are. A lot of time and effort has gone into ensuring that our program is all-encompassing for our students AND parents.

Making the switch

Here at UnLock Math, we understand the challenges and stresses that come with switching math curriculum mid-school year because we have been their ourselves. This is why we took the time to develop the program we did; from one homeschooling family to another, we want your child(ren) to be fully prepared and successful in their home-school career. We offer a 30-day guarantee to those interested in purchasing a subscription to one of our programs as well as a family discount for those families looking for a solution for more than one child. Not only will UnLock Math unlock your child’s math potential, but ease the minds of YOU (the parents).

Questions? Get in touch, we’re devoted to our mission of improving math confidence and skill.

We are so excited to have our blog up and running again to not only connect and engage with our customers but also to give you a glimpse into some of the new and exciting projects we have going on in our business! Our customers make this all possible and we want you to continue to be apart of this journey! So, Thank YOU and until next time!