MUS- is this for real?

[stephanie]

I know this is my first week to do MUS with my ds12, but it has completely changed the tone here in terms of math. I have always dreaded doing math wit h him, and he too dreaded it. Now, it's so nice to look forward to it. For now there is some review for him, but also new concepts. We watch the lesson in the evenings then do the work in the AM. He is completely getting it, and even explained in his own words today why he had to do a certain math operation. I'm so thrilled b/c he's only known how to do the operation, but not why. Our days are no longer stressed b/c of math, and more importantly, he feels great about his skills now. He told me that he loved to do it now! I just am wondering if this is just a honeymoon period or is it really this much easier than Saxon? I'm sure he will slow down a bit once he hits really new concepts all the time, but for the mean time I (and he) are enjoying mastering some skills!:D

[Hen Jen]

we switched this year from abeka, and yes we went from dragging feet to no complaints. They are still enjoying it.

[Cadam]

I had the same experience. I know it sounds trite but about a week after starting MUS my ds told me he now liked math. I was pretty shocked. We had done a different program before that and it just wasn't working for us.

We have had bumps in the road and things that took longer to understand but as each thing builds it's not so intimidating to him because he really understands the stuff that came before.

It's easier than Saxon imho but that doesn't mean he is learning any less, just that the explanations are concrete. I was sold on MUS when I watched the Demo video and just from that understood things I had never fully grasped as a student. I am glad it is working out for you!

[Rhonda in WA]

We love it here. I went clear back to Alpha with dd, but she is 8. We went through alpha in about a month. She loves it now and the facts are concrete. I felt weird going back to alpha but so worth it now. We are doing great. She is finally not crying because of math.

[Lori D.]

... Our Visual-Spatial Learner son struggled with math all through gr. 1-4, using a different math program each year.
- standard workbooks/timed math fact drills completely shut him down.
- Miquon was not bad, but it only goes up through about 3rd grade.
- Singapore moved too fast and was too abstract.
- Saxon was too spiral and had too much on a page.

Finally, in 5th grade we tried MUS old Intermediate -- WOW! No problems since, and he's halfway through 8th grade now! Isn't it a blessing to finally find what connects for a child who has struggled?! Best wishes that continues for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[stephanie]

... Our Visual-Spatial Learner son struggled with math all through gr. 1-4, using a different math program each year.
- standard workbooks/timed math fact drills completely shut him down.
- Miquon was not bad, but it only goes up through about 3rd grade.
- Singapore moved too fast and was too abstract.
- Saxon was too spiral and had too much on a page.

Finally, in 5th grade we tried MUS old Intermediate -- WOW! No problems since, and he's halfway through 8th grade now! Isn't it a blessing to finally find what connects for a child who has struggled?! Best wishes that continues for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

So what level is he in now? I'm curious b/c my ds12 is in 6th and we had to go back to Delta to drill in division. Sue in St.Pete recommended a schedule that I'll probably follow. Thanks for the encouragement!

[Sugarfoot]

to hear this from others. My son grasps math concepts easily, but he's dyslexic, so he gets bogged down in programs with lots of different things on one page, and rewriting problems from a textbook would be more like handwriting practice than math for him. The other day, he actually said,
"Math-u-See is the best, Mom!" Left me speechless...:o

[Donna T.]

Both of my sons love MUS. I didn't start my oldest in MUS until second grade. I started him in Alpha because I thought he needed the practice in order to have his basic facts thoroughly memorized. I am so glad I did that because he is now zooming through Beta and will begin the next level soon. My Ker is doing Primer. Looks like he will be ready for Alpha in about a month. I wish I had started my oldest son out with MUS from the beginning. During his K and 1st grade years, we used Singapore, some Miquon, and some lessons from Making Math Meaningful. I wanted a math curriculum that stressed understanding, but none of those were a good fit for us.

I am glad they love math and want to do their work. I plan to stick with MUS for the long-term. I love the mastery approach, the DVDs, the uncluttered workbook, everything. They seem to be enjoying it more and more, not less. Everytime they get to do something new, they are excited and eager to move forward. Rather than being scared of new material, they are confident.

[Amy from WT]

We have LOVED MUS! I've had my two youngers in it since the very beginning. My oldest has done quite a bit of Saxon, and I gradually realized that while there was much I liked about it, there was also a lot of "busy work." The visual kinesthetic approach from MUS was right-on for us. Wish I'd started my oldest from the very beginning; she would have had a much more successful "math career." I jumped her into MUS mid-stream, and that's one drawback to the program - it's very tough to start in the middle. Much better if you start from the beginning, I think.

However, I am probably going to switch my oldest son to Chalkdust Algebra next year. We are reaching a point in the older levels where we just need a little more substance. More explanation when he doesn't get a concept, or just more practice in concepts that he isn't quite getting. I'm not quite sure how to explain it! One thing that I love about Chalkdust is the video solutions for each problem; so that for all the problems he misses he can watch the solutions and see where he went wrong. I think the problem at the higher levels for us is that I am not as sure what I am doing, and need more "back-up".

[Lori D.]

.. we've used MUS in the upper elementary/middle school years:

5th grade = MUS old Intermediate (did almost all of it)

6th grade = MUS new levels: Delta/Epsilon/Zeta
- MUS Delta (9 weeks; reviewed it all, about 3 lessons a week)
- MUS Epsilon (18 weeks; reviewed it all, about 2 lessons a week)
- MUS Zeta (9 weeks; did the first 10 lessons, about 1 lesson a week)

7th grade = MUS Zeta AND Singapore 4A/B and 5A/B
- MUS Zeta (26 weeks; did first 10 lessons @ 2 lessons a week, last 20 lessons @ 1 lesson a week)
- Singapore 4A/B and 5A/B (reviewed teacher books aloud; he did selected problems from teacher book practice pages)

8th grade = MUS Pre-Algebra AND Keys to... workbooks AND Singapore 6A/B
- MUS Pre-Algebra (will finish in 26-28 weeks)
- Keys To... workbooks (a page a day throughout the year)
- Singapore 6A/B (to finish out the last weeks of this school year)


Looking ahead, he will do MUS Algebra next year in 9th grade (using Jacobs Algebra as supplement). That puts him right on target, as most students do Algebra in 8th or 9th grade. And doing MUS and slowing down a little has given him the opportunity for the abstract reasoning portion of his brain (needed for Algebra) to mature, so overall, I think Algebra will be a lot easier for him than if we'd try to push and make it happen sooner. If he really struggles, we'll slow it down and he can do Algebra over 9th and 10th grades -- and still have time to finish Geometry and Algebra 2 by the time he graduates! : )

BEST of luck in scheduling your math! Warmest regards, Lori D.