A commenter from my last post asked why I don't like Saxon so here are my answers. Thanks for asking! This was originally written in response to a question that was asked on a Yahoo Group I am on that asked why Cathy Duffy did not recommend early Saxon.

I can tell you why I think she does not list it and instead lists MathUSee. Math is a language that must be learned in the same way reading is. Saxon does not do this. It is not a mastery program, but is a rote memory, spiral program that does not offer true understanding of the language of math. Saxon was written for public schools that do not slow their teaching for those students who are not getting it. Your children will not learn the “why” of math, and there certainly is a “why” to it. Saxon encourages you to push on when your child does not understand a concept with the assumption that they will “get it” when they see it enough. This is the philosophy behind all Saxon products. This will work ONLY if your child is instinctively very math-oriented in their brain from the get-go. Most of us do not have that luxury. Even if you think your child does think this way, it is my humble opinion that this is no way to teach young concrete-oriented children math. They must see it, feel it, and understand it. The only program I have ever seen that does all these things is MathUSee.

In my opinion, MUS will give you everything that Saxon will not. It is a complete mastery program in that you do not move on until your child(ren) understand it and can then explain it to you when called to do so. It is concrete, explicit, interesting, and understandable to those who really have struggled in this area. As a homeschooling mom for seven years I have seen many math programs (and so, unfortunately, has my eldest) and the only one that ever communicated true understanding of math concepts has been MUS. I will also go so far as to say that the majority of families that I have had contact with that are struggling in elementary math are using Saxon. My oldest was able to go all the way through Saxon 65 without truly understanding anything she did! What kind of teaching is that? Now we are working our way back through some of the concepts that she was “taught” by Saxon via MUS and she is thriving! She finally understands math and it is no longer a struggle. My two younger ones understand all their concepts too--math is no longer a dreaded subject.

So I actually feel that early Saxon can be a big negative and I could not recommend it in good conscience.

Probably more than you really asked for, huh? I do appreciate the question though. Oh, and for those of you wondering, no, I don't work for MUS! :+)

Warmly,

Kate