Singapore Math? Really?

Oh, blessed MATH! I love math. I have always loved math. As long as I can remember, math has been among my most favorite subjects. I struggled with it a bit in college, but then, who doesn’t? I was thrilled with the prospect of teaching math to my own son.

Singapore Math, One of the Leading Math Curricula on the Market

Before we started kindergarten, my husband came home from work one day and announced, “I’ve just learned that Singapore Math is the best curriculum on the market. I want you to teach it in our home.” Encouraged by his certainty, I diligently conducted my own research. And sure enough, my husband was right. There is nothing better than Singapore Math! (If you would like to learn more about why Singapore Math is considered one of the leading curricula in the world, please follow this link.) I checked with my closest friends – all except one used Singapore Math. And so it made its way into our home. We picked the recommended Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics (Standards Edition) and dived into it.

Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics, Singapore Math

Our kindergarten year was horrid. There must have been something terribly wrong with me. Maybe I forgot what math was all about and didn’t like it after all. Maybe I have joined the wonderful group of homeschool moms who would rather do dishes than teach their children math. Well, to cut the story short – we survived. I did more research at the end of our Kindergarten year and learned that not too many moms actually enjoyed this particular kindergarten curriculum. But the first grade was supposed to be better. So we decided to press through.

Primary Mathematics, Singapore Math

True to the statements, the first grade went a little better. But it was still far from what I had dreamt of for a math curriculum to be. It required all of me and a way of teaching that was not natural to me. Singapore math is based on the Concrete to Pictorial to Abstract approach. It uses lots of manipulatives which turn the math into hands on projects but significantly add to the school time.

Now, if you think I am trying to scare you off Singapore Math, please continue reading. There is a golden thread that runs so true through all of this.

By the end of the fourth grade I stopped begging my husband to let me change our math curriculum. We had somehow adjusted. It was not as difficult any more. It still was a challenging task but we started finding beauty in the midst of it. Then the fifth grade came…

As we reached the end of the fifth grade, I decided to get my son tested to see how well we had accomplished this part of our homeschool journey. I determined that California Achievement Text (CAT) would meet our needs. I was not prepared to see the results my son had attained. Not only he scored 98th percentile in math all together, but in mathematics concepts and problems he reached the level of a senior in high school. Even though he would not be able to work out all the details of the senior math, the score showed his understanding of some concepts that are taught at the senior level grade. All that after Kindergarten plus five years of Singapore Math program!

Lest you think I brag here about my son’s intelligence and my exceptional teaching abilities, I want to assure you that no matter how smart my son may be, he is definitely not THIS smart. I am 100% persuaded that his success in CAT was achieved because of Singapore Math.

So what is so different about Singapore Math?

Singapore Math is based on looking at a problem from every possible angle. Before you are even presented with a concept, you are led, step by step, to figure the concept out on your own. What this does to the developing mind is establishing a principle that if you are presented with a problem, yet do not know the answer, you can patiently think about it and through it and find a solution – whether in mathematics or in other aspects of life. So at the end of your teaching math, your child not only achieves proficiency in one school subject, but as a by-product is also given a gift of critical thinking skills that are so needed for life.

Can other math curricula teach your children with the same efficiency? Some certainly can. Is Singapore Math for everyone? Most probably not. Is Singapore Math for you? You will have to determine that for yourself as there are many factors and family dynamics that play into choosing the right curriculum for your children. But if you choose to follow the Singapore Math path, rest assured that even though it may be a struggle at times, the future results are more than worth it.