BUILDING BLOCKS: KEEP YOUR CHILD’S MATH FOUNDATION STEADY As parents, it is tempting to leave your children to their own devices as they move into high school and study subjects far beyond your memory, such as geometry, trigonometry and calculus. But it is important for parents to continue being involved in their children’s education to help them make positive choices in and beyond high school. Whether he chooses to go to college or to enter the workforce, your child will continue to benefit from a frequent and active study of mathematics. Keep in Touch While your teenager’s math book might read like a foreign language to you, your child’s teacher can serve as your tutor and translator. Meet with your child’s math teacher and stay informed of your student’s progress. Ask to see progress reports and graded homework assignments. If you don’t understand the math your child is doing, ask him to explain it to you. Stay in constant contact with both child and teacher. It is important to stay involved, even if you are convinced that a logarithm involves wood. Study 101 One of the best and most basic things a parent can do is to provide children with the basic study skills and tools they’ll need to be successful in the classroom. Equip your child with a proper calculator—most students will need a graphing calculator, such as the TI-83—and make sure they have all the supplies they need, including graphing paper, pencils, erasers and a ruler. Don’t just shop for supplies at the beginning of the school year, either, check throughout the year to make sure used supplies are replenished. Also make sure your child has a quiet and organized place to do homework, whether in a home office or at a desk in his bedroom. Setting a place and a time for study can make a world of difference in motivating your child. The Real World Teenagers tend to be interested in the concrete over the abstract, so they demand their math education be practical and useful in the real world. Parents can be the perfect source for grounding mathematics in everyday life. Teach your child how to budget their earnings, how to balance their checkbook or how to follow the stock market. Discuss his future with him often, and explore career options that require math skills. Help him study for the ACT and the SAT, and explain why math will help them get into a good college. Finally, be an example and integrate math into your own routine as a way of showing your child just how central it is to your adult life.