Here it is! My annual reminder, rant, or argument for using a challenging mathematics curriculum like the Art of Problem Solving.
Let's start at the beginning... What's your number one purpose for having your children study and learn the branch of mathematics?
Is it to be accepted into a decent college program? Is it to complete the high school transcript for graduation? Is it to impress the relatives?
Or
Is it to learn to appreciate hard work? Is it to learn to think and process information? Is it to see the patterns in nature and study the language of the God who created it?
While being accepted into a great school is a good goal, it's not a vision. My vision of mathematics education for your child and mine is that they would see the infinite in the finite. They would wrestle with the ideas the infinite presents and in the process be cemented in their faith of the one God. This is a big deal. Whittling the study of mathematics down to simple calculations and processes is a disservice to our children and disrespectful of the God who placed that order there for us to discover. This is why I encourage my children to study mathematics with a challenging curriculum.
The challenging coursework in the AOPS texts forces our children to work hard, wrestle, and often fail. Through this failure they develop incredible thinking skills and stamina. I would rather my child fail a hard course than excel at a basic calculations course.
Has your child completed pre algebra? The Art of Problem Solving pre algebra text is the best pre algebra book available! Math Masters meet weekly to go over the material covered in the book and help our students succeed with this challenging text.