Does your child come home with nonsense problems that frustrate them and even you’re not sure how to solve? Let’s not do that anymore. We can walk them through the process, make it all make sense, and even laugh along the way…Let’s do that instead.
Algebra has long been the gateway to higher-level math and logical thinking—but for many students, it can feel more like a locked door than a welcome mat. As educators, our challenge is to shift the narrative: from “I’m just not good at math” to “I can figure this out.” Here’s how we can make that happen.
Before diving into variables and equations, we help students understand why algebra matters, we show them how it connects to real life—budgeting, coding, sports stats, even TikTok algorithms. When students see algebra as a language that describes patterns and relationships, it becomes less intimidating and more relevant.
For many students it is not even the algebra that is causing the problem. We will meet students that never memorized the multiplication tables, and the are being asked to factor algebraic equations…That is like asking a person who speaks only English to travel to China or Russia and speak the language there. It’s just not going to happen. So we back up to where the student actually understands what is going on and then move forward from there. The students suddenly feel smart and ask, “Is this all there ever was? I understand it easily now and it’s not even hard!” That’s music to our ears.