Opinions on Geometry text?

[Sophia]

Yeah!
Dh has agreed to allow ds to take some some classes through Potter's School next year.
Thing is, I have heard nothing about the text they use.
Has anyone had experience with Geometry from the UCSMP ("Chicago Math") series?

Dh has been happy with ChalkDust, which we use for Algebra, but I can't help with Geometry and dh's work schedule is such that he knows it would be best to just outsource.

tia :)

[Maxine in WA]

I don't think the UCSMP series is highly regarded by the "Mathematically Correct" people (although I can't find the info right now), but for my math-phobic dd, it was just what she needed. Actually, she wasn't math-phobic, she just didn't understand why she would ever need or use high school math and sort of rebelled against it.

My dd used UCSMP's "Transition Math" for pre-algebra, Jacob's for Algebra, then we went back to UCSMP for Geometry. UCSMP was really good about giving real-life situations in which the math would be used. It was colorful, lessons were short, and there were many sidebars which kept her interest. I've heard that UCSMP is lacking in areas (proofs being one of them) but I've never compared it to other programs. Dd always had aspirations of being an actress/dancer, so for my her, UCSMP worked out well.

Oh, by the way, my dd never took any math beyond Geometry. She scored in the high 500s on the SAT which was fantastic considering she hated math and she refused to study for the SAT. Hope this helps.

[Bev in B'ville]

My dd switched from Jacob's Geometry to TT Geometry and she really likes it.

[Sophia]

I can't teach Geometry.
Don't even want to try.
Potter's School seems to have a good rep, but I'd appreciate hearing if there are other options for online classes.
Chalkdust is great, but I want him to have a teacher he can talk to on a regular basis, not just when he's stuck, kwim?

[Bev in B'ville]

I may be overstepping my boundaries, here, but I know that Jann in TX offers online tutoring for a fee.

[gardenschooler]

My dd switched from Jacob's Geometry to TT Geometry and she really likes it.

Can you tell me why? Was the Jacob's hard to teach? Hard to understand? A bad fit?

[Bev in B'ville]

Can you tell me why? Was the Jacob's hard to teach? Hard to understand? A bad fit?

Dd really didn't like the videos by Ask Dr. Callahan that goes with Jacob's. She said he stood in front of the board and she couldn't see what was written down. Dd also said in the 4th lesson she was expected to do proofs, but had not been shown how to do them. As she went on, she became increasingly more frustrated and began hating and dreading her lesson. I knew then that it was time to make a change. TT has been great. She knows how to do proofs now, she does them on every test (long, long proofs). She likes math again and really looks forward to Geometry. I think that's half the battle.

Having said that, *I* really liked the Jacob's text and I really liked Dr. Callahan's philosophy on math. I would have no problems recommending his program (and, in fact, many on this boad rave about Jacob's). It just wasn't a good fit for my dd. I think what it comes down to is what works for your dc, and what took me a while to figure out is that both of my dc are very different. While Saxon was a good fit for my dd, it was not for my visually driven son, who needs colors, graphics, and things that make it come alive for him.

Bottom line: Try to find what works for your dc. Have him/her watch demo videos online and try to get the book from the library to peruse before you buy. I just found out recently that our library system even carries the TE's for some textbooks.

That's just my $.02.