Smartick has been benefitting homeschooling families in North America since it was first launched by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014. Don’t believe us? Hear it for yourself from Maria, a homeschooling Mom located in Canada. She wrote to us explaining how her journey with Smartick began, despite her math phobia. We hope that many of our families, including parents suffering from math phobia, feel the same!
Homeschooling and Math Phobia
I’ve always been a mama with a strong case of math phobia. I’m not kidding. Mention math, and I’m likely to break out in a sweat or possibly even run screaming from the room! Well, OK, maybe it’s not quite that serious. But when it came time to help my son with math work, I’d take a few deep breaths, grab my coffee, and assume my brightest smile. I’d be just hoping against hope that today’s session wouldn’t end in tears. (Sometimes for both of us!) Now that’s a serious problem for a homeschooling mama to have!
Smartick Fixes Learning Gaps
I figured my son had some learning gaps in the math department, due to math phobia, but I never seemed to be able to diagnose the problem and figure out how to fix it. It felt overwhelming. We tried drilling, flashcards, review, but nothing seemed to fit the need, and his frustration level was high. He was passing, but we could never quite reach that “aha moment” I knew he was craving. I wasn’t doing a great job with this. I needed to hire a tutor, but that was going to cost thousands we didn’t have. What to do? I knew he would be lost in a standard math classroom as well. Enter Smartick! It’s for kids 4 to 14, and I knew its cutting-edge technology could help us overcome this math phobia.
Learning How to Learn
I’d heard about the Smartick method from Barbara Oakley’s “Cheery Friday” emails. Barbara Oakley co-taught the hugely popular Coursera offering called “Learning How to Learn.” She has terrific insights on anything to do with education, especially mathematics. So when I saw her singing the praises of Smartick, I headed on over to smartick.com. Within a short time, we were signed up for a free trial. The customer service at Smartick is truly incredible! Any questions? Send an email and you’ll get a personal, friendly, and detailed response from a Smartick team member in no time! That is something very special in this day and age.
Fast Mathematics Improvement
And lo and behold, within a week or so, some tricky concepts my child had been struggling with for two years (despite multiple lessons and drills) became clear to him. He was pretty happy and relieved to finally understand. But alas, my free trial ran out, and life went back to normal with daily math marathons that sometimes dragged on for well over an hour.
Smartick Fosters Independence
Fast forward to a new academic year. We decided to invest in the method. My son is twelve now, that age when he wants to learn things on his own. Fifteen minutes a day is all it takes for him to do his math review work! I am already starting to see more confidence in math concepts. Every day I get a mailing, going over in detail what was covered and how he did. If he misses his session I’m notified too. But the best part is that the Smartick method goes over mistakes and helps him see where he went wrong. It gives him the chance to correct errors. That’s where all the learning magic happens according to neuroscientific research.
Smartick is Personalized and Customized to each Child’s Needs
Who wouldn’t love a carefully developed algorithm that adjusts to drill exactly the concepts my student struggles with? It’s like having a personal tutor who’s always available when needed. It’s been a week, and so far I’m delighted with the Smartick method and can’t wait to see where it brings my son! I’m looking forward to our future math sessions, knowing that he will gradually become more and more confident and capable. Thank you, Smartick, my child will not be hindered by math phobia like his mom!
Learn More:
- ”With Smartick, I Have No Need for a Tutor ”
- A Math Program My Kids Love!
- Homeschooling: “Can I Do Math? My Daughter Asks First Thing in the Morning”
- When an Unexpected Lockdown Disrupts Normalcy, Smartick Saves the Day
- Smartick Awarded Best Homeschooling Math Program
She studied Spanish Language and Literature at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and went abroad to Buenos Aires, Argentina during her junior year.
You can now find her perfecting a new vegetarian recipe, listening to a podcast, or running in the parks of Madrid.
Hi i need a space for grade 10 maths and science