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Do you have a favorite teacher? What about a least favorite? A good teacher can make a difficult subject make sense and a bad teacher can make you hate even your favorite subject. Am I right??
My College Algebra teacher was t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e. He used to talk about how math was like a banana hanging from the ceiling, and we were all gorillas trying to reach it. He said he was going to push a chair under the banana for us. What?! Yeah, that was my reaction too. That story is the only thing I remember from his class.
We’ve been using a new math curriculum that I love, and my math-gifted-but-non-math-loving son “likes better than anything else” we’ve used. (It is still math, after all). And his reason why?
The teacher.
We were given access to the Mr. D online curriculum and I’m being compensated for my time writing this review. All opinions are mine.
Mr. D. Math
With Mr. D. Math you have the choice of working online independently, or participating in online class sessions. We’re using the self-paced online curriculum and I’d recommend this to anyone without hesitation. I’ve written before about the path we’ve taken with math in our homeschool.
Some of the curriculum we’ve used has been good, some not so good. Mr. D Math is the best.
What I Like
- Getting set up was easy, and communication with the folks at Mr. D Math has always been a pleasure.
- When you register, you get an email with a list of video tutorials on how to do everything you need to on their site.
- I like that on each lesson page the video, lesson problems, and answer key are all right there.
- After completing the assignment, there’s a short, 5 question, quiz to check for understanding. (And they don’t tell you the correct answers for missed items on the quizzes so you can go back and retake it!)
- The online grade book is easy for parents to access and track.
- Most of all…I’m thrilled that my son UNDERSTANDS what he’s doing.
We’re using this curriculum slightly differently, as my son took Algebra 2 previously (ableit he didn’t learn a lot). He is currently studying to take the College Algebra CLEP test, and we had been jumping around to different resources to help him prepare. We are so thankful to have found Mr. D Math. We used the Semester 1 test as a tool to determine areas that my son needed more work on. We then went back and completed those lessons. We’re currently working through areas of Semester 2 that need work. I am certain that Mr. D Math has helped him prepare for this test better than any other resource we’ve used.
I’ll be honest, I’ve struggled with my kids’ high school math (and I taught adult GED classes for a number of years). I was capable to teach and help with Algebra 1 and even Geometry. But I do not remember a lot from Algebra 2/College Algebra and am not much help.
We have been blessed with a gifted tutor. But it’s not her job to find curriculum, nor does she have time to teach and go through every topic. And, as much as she likes us, she’s not here every day.
What My Son Likes
Compared to other math curriculum we’ve used, I have heard no complaining about Mr. D Math. When I asked my son to tell me why he likes this curriculum, here’s what he told me:
- The teacher makes it easy to understand.
- He talks to you like you’re really there.
- The problems in the assignment are like the ones in the video. (You’d be surprised how often this is not the case. If you’ll remember, we had issues with this in more than one other curriculum).
- The teacher is engaging, but not trying so hard to entertain you that he’s irritating. (We’ve also seen that…painful!)
My favorite description that he used:
There’s just more “life” to this curriculum somehow.
Click here to read more homeschool curriculum reviews.
The Best Online Math
You can learn more about Mr. D Math by visiting their site. While you’re there, you can also watch sample videos to get a feel for the style of the lessons.
Oh how I wish we’d have found Mr. D Math years ago and had a consistent math path!
As I said above, I can recommend this curriculum with zero hesitation.
The cost is comparable to other math curriculum, but you have the added option of connecting with a real person, who happens to be a gifted teacher.
Check it out today!
Mr. D would love to connect with you on social media, too:
I wish you would have found it years ago too! 🙂 Thanks for sharing! If you are a homeschooler, definitely worth following “The Sparrow’s Home!”
Thanks, Tracy!
Is the self paced all online or is there also printed material? Thank you.
It is all online.
I’ve just been looking at Mr. D’s classes, but I notice he only goes up to pre-calc. Do you have any suggestions for what you’d do after that? My oldest is only going into 7th grade, but I know her daddy’s going to ask about calculus!
Unfortunately, by the time my kids got that high in math, they were doing dual enrollment at our local community college. I would suggest asking Mr. D, to be honest. He is fantastic about answering questions via email.
Try the Homeschool Math Crusade
https://www.homeschoolmathcrusade.com/
Self paced videos, quizzes and tests through the highest level of Calculus you want to go. My son is going through their last tier now and he’ll be ready for any top engineering college. Even high school/private schools and any math curriculums in the standard math system will not prepare you for higher level math. We’ve learned this the hard way. We’ve put three through college and last one at home we found this program two years ago.
I will be a first time homeschool mom with an 11th grader son. I am so nervous but what education has done today in public schools is a disgrace! I have four older children who are now in their 30’s(2) and 2 of them are in the mid to late 20’s. They went to the same schools as my youngest who is currently in 10th grade and the district implemented a IB curriculum(international baccalaureate program for k thru 12 along with common core which I have seen as a nightmare! It has failed my last child to say the least! My oldest son is master auto technician and highest paid in our area, my second oldest son worked for his masters degree and working on a college university,, our daughter is in her final stretch in becoming a clinical psychologist with her doctorate and our fourth child another son who went onto hvac but is not enjoying that at all. I know removing our youngest from public education is the way to go now and thankfully our son is onboard now that he has been remote learning 100% from home. He struggles with math and hates it! His English classes have become nothing but reading writings like romeo&juliet, and currently& begrudgingly going through Macbeth&essay writings! Social studies too have been rough as they are forced to write enduring essays for that subject matter!
So my question is as a home schooler mom I know my state law of New York requires 2 more years of english and 2 more years of Social studies which government in participation,&economics(1/2 credit each) as well as us history is required(1 credit). He also has mandated phys ed classes (2 credits) and fire, bike safety and patriotism requirements. He also is required to take a music or art elective as well as a general elective. My question is will the cat test( that is one of the standardized tests required for Homeschoolers in New York State ) fulfill this requirement? Also this test is basically English and math correct? I know student needs to meet 33rd %tile on the test. I am so accustomed to having student pass standardized tests in January and in June in all core subjects(Math,Science,Social & English as well as language other than English) Any suggestions you have are greatly appreciated! Deborah
Hi Deborah,
I totally understand your frustration with what’s going on in school systems. While I can’t answer specific questions about state homeschool laws, I can say that from my experience, standardized tests themselves typically do no meet requirements for course credits (if I understood your question correctly). Preparation for those tests may indeed meet requirements, if you count hours as class time-which I definitely would! A couple of good resources to check requirements for your state are:
https://hslda.org/legal
https://a2zhomeschooling.com/laws/homeschooling-requirements/
Best of luck to you and your family!