High school math - outside the box

As homeschoolers, we have a lot of freedom to make curriculum choices for our children. One of the freedoms I like to take advantage of is choosing math courses and curriculum. Especially in high school.

So let’s talk about high school math, credits, transcripts, and graduation. Many years ago, I made a decision with my oldest daughter that became a part of my homeschooling philosophy. Hold on to your hats, because this one is a bit controversial! –> Not everyone needs to take algebra.

Stay with me here.

Algebra is useful math. For some. It’s not a prerequisite to live and operate in the adult world. It is necessary for many fields. So I don’t require it for my kids, depending on their future plans. (What do we do instead? More on that below.) With my oldest daughter, I presented two options:

take algebra at home
take whatever college entrance exam might be required, and based on those results, agree to take a remedial algebra course in college

She chose the second option, and lucky for her, the culinary program she chose did not require algebra! As the years went by, each of my other children has made the same (informed) decision. So far, most of them are choosing not to attend college. They have chosen various paths, including marriage and full-time employment.

You may be shocked at this point, or even angry that we would make such a choice. I get it. I’ve met others who felt the same way. But my husband and I came to this decision based on a couple of things. First, neither of us went beyond pre-algebra in high school. I went to college and earned a Bachelor’s degree in business, and my husband went straight into work after high school. Second, we’ve known many adults who had the same experience, both homeschooled and public schooled. Another consideration was the adults we’ve known who dropped out of high school, but later earned a GED, attended college, and graduated with a degree late into their twenties and thirties.

Some people will argue that you need algebra because “you use it every day.” If that’s the case, then I guess we’re good, right? I mean, if I didn’t take the courses, but I use it in everyday life without realizing it, what is the purpose of three high school courses in algebra anyway?

(See how my teens learn physics without algebra here.)

That decision has influenced several things about homeschooling high school for me, as well as math in general. I learned that a good math curriculum will prepare teens for life in the adult world very well, and it will also introduce algebra and geometry concepts throughout each level. We use Math-U-See in our homeschool, and both algebra and geometry are part of each (grade) level over many years. For most people, it is sufficient.

Now, please don’t misunderstand. This is not an anti-algebra post. I’m just here to encourage freedom of choice, and offer alternative ideas. There are many fields and degrees that need algebra. There are kids that absolutely thrive on higher math. I love that! Education should be an individual pursuit! I wrote this post for the families that are looking at all of their options.

Because I’ve been asked about this many, many times.

So, what do you do instead?

Our goal with our children should be to prepare them for the rest of their lives, not just college. That means that they need to master all of the basic math functions, and then apply them to the real world. In our homeschool, students take some kind of financial literacy class in high school. We’ve used both Stewardship from Demme Learning (Math-U-See) and Dave Ramsey Foundations. Both are good. I think Stewardship is the better of the two. We also walk them through the real-life stuff as it happens: part-time jobs, shopping, bank accounts, auto insurance, filing taxes, etc.

But is that all?

Not necessarily! If your teen has an idea of where they’re headed after high school, there are multiple ways to learn targeted math skills in multiple fields. I started looking for “construction math” when my son got a part-time job in construction. Business math is also very popular in high school. So I’ve rounded up a good list of various math books that are specific to various fields (or hobbies). Some of these are designed for high school, and some for general adult use. But I believe all are applicable to high school students.

And the really neat thing is that some of these books and courses may spur an interest in higher math that wasn’t there before. I just want to encourage you to make informed choices for each of your kids, and point them in the direction they need to go, not necessarily the direction that society pushes them.

This post contains affiliate links.

Math outside the box

Foundations in Entrepreneurship: Dave Ramsey

Practical Shop Math: Simple Solutions to Workshop Fractions, Formulas + Geometric Shapes

The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook: A Complete Guide to Managing Finances, Crops, and Staff – and Making a Profit

Math Art: Truth, Beauty, and Equations

Geometry for the Artist

Fibonacci Fractals : Coloring and Puzzles Book

More Mathematical Quilts: No Sewing Required!

Math for Quilters

Mathematics for the Green Industry: Essential Calculations for Horticulture and Landscape Professionals

Culinary Math

Math for the Professional Kitchen

Business Mathematics

Stewardship

The Accounting Game: Learn the Basics of Financial Accounting – As Easy as Running a Lemonade Stand (Basics for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners)

Foundations in Personal Finance: Homeschool Edition (Dave Ramsey)

How to Make a Budget

From Homemaker to Entrepreneur: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Successful Home-Based Business for Stay-at-Home Moms

How To Create 7 Sources of Income: Millionaire Homemakers

These types of courses answer the “will I ever use this in the real world?” question. Yes, these books go straight to the real world!

Math from a biblical worldview

Did you know that we can view math through a biblical lens? Most people think this is the one school subject that does not have anything to do with God. But they’d be wrong. If you’d like for your teen to explore this, here are a few resources:

Math Concepts from a Biblical Worldview (Master Books curriculum)

Mathematics: Is God Silent? (book)

The Golden Ratio: Curious Connections in Creation (article)

If you want help with transcripts and graduation, read my blog post here.

Fun ideas for younger kids

For my younger kids, alongside their Math-U-See workbooks, I like to use basic flash cards to drill math facts. In addition, we play games that involve the different operations, like Yahtzee, Farkle, and even Monopoly Junior. Hi-Ho Cherry-O was the first game each of my kids played, and I bought it for my grandson as soon as he could count.