I wanted to tell you how much we love Math·U·See! We began with Pre-Algebra in the 7th grade and are now in Algebra I. I have learned more through your books and DVD than I ever knew in high school. My 13 year old daughter was spending the night with her cousin this past weekend and she randomly began writing a math problem down on paper and showed her cousin what she had recently learned. It was finding square roots and dividing polynomials! She made up the problem herself and solved it all the while saying, "See how it works?" I was absolutely stunned. She never does math for the fun of it in her spare time! It is because she understands how it works that she now sees what was formally thought of as a difficult subject as something she can actually do and I give Math·U·See full credit for this accomplishment. Let me also say that I find the ability to call in to a "live" person who will walk me through a problem the most invaluable service you offer. I no longer worry about getting her through upper level maths. Thank you for a wonderful curriculum! It's amazing to watch the fear and intimidation melt away from my daughter's face as well as my own by simply having it explained and shown in simple terms. We sing the praises of Math·U·See!

MH
Homeschooling Mom, Alabama

What Teachers Are Saying

Using Math·U·See, I see light bulbs turning on all year long in math class. With this program students seem more focused and attend better as they are actively involved throughout the lesson far more than other remedial programs I’ve tried. I teach and the student builds with the manipulative and there is immediate feedback with the active participation for both the student and the teacher. Students seem to like math now ... One 5th grade student was doing an algebra problem and the general teacher was astonished, and he got to do another problem in front of the whole class, and they all were quite impressed. Another student even told me he helped his 8th grade brother do some algebra. There is plenty of review in the workbooks for students to understand and retain the information. Students don’t have a chance to forget skills as they get repeated enough to become solid.

Math·U·See builds a solid math foundation that connects math that can be applied not only in testing situations but actually in the real world. The students see math as meaningful and relevant. Math·U·See has worked well in my resource room. Students love to come to the board and build problems in front of the group, as others follow at their seat. No one has a chance to snooze. I am able to juggle two math groups in one period by alternating instruction. Even those kids who suffer from “learned helplessness”, suddenly work independently because they can use the manipulatives to make the problems make sense.

I was amazed to see my 5th and 6th grade learning-disabled students add fractions with unlike denominators with ease and actually understand the “why”. While I have always used manipulatives to teach math, it is seamless with Math·U·See. The kids use the manipulatives as needed and know the routine for retrieval and storage. The same manipulatives are used for multiple concepts so I’m not wasting my time reintroducing new manipulative pieces and having kids explore them to get it out of their system. More time is spent on task with one consumable workbook and no papers to organize or lose. Students like the book and are even proud to show friends because it looks hard. Everything is organized and lesson planning is simplified. Parents are happy to see their child progress, kids like math and stay organized, and it is teacher friendly. Math·U·See is multi-sensory and follows research based practices. I have seen too many kids get lost in math lessons where teachers continue to do all the work while students sit back and attempt to watch all the while getting lost with too much verbal instruction and steps to hold in their brains. Math·U·See makes it easy for the entire class to be actively participating in the learning. The students are successful and math finally makes sense to them.
- Michelle (Recipient of the Student Service Award for being an Outstanding Special Education Teacher)

This year I changed my Math program with my daughter to Math·U·See. I love your program!!! My daughter loves it, and I see steady progress. The material is being retained!!! Your instruction DVD is wonderful. Keep up the good work and I look forward to continuing with you program for as long as I homeschool.

Thanks,
JP

I just wanted to share this little tidbit. My 7 year old son started using Alpha last year. Mid year we stopped MUS and tried ______. Upon recently asking him which curriculum he would like to use, he said, "Well, if I actually want to learn and understand math, it would be the DVD man (MUS), but if I wanted all the cool colors and pictures it would be the one we are doing now(______).
We are now ordering Beta!
Thank you!
-FL

Thanks so much for developing your Math·U·See curriculum. When we pulled our autistic daughter out of public school 3 years ago, she was failing 4th grade, and we were told that she was so learning impaired in math that she would never learn enough to even balance her own check book. We are almost through the Pre Algebra book!!!! She has expressed a very keen interest in attending Wake Forest University for college and wants to become a Maritime Archaeologist. She no longer believes that she is the "stupidest kid on the planet." Thanks to Math·U·See her confidence level in her academic ability has shot through the roof.
May God continue to bless you in your unique ministry.
By the way I flunked Algebra in college, but I think I finally understand it enough now to help our daughter master it. Thank you.
Cindy Williams-Stokesdale, NC

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your work. I have been home educating for 13+ years and tried many math programs during the first years. Then I tried Math·U·See and have been using it for many years now, with no intention of ever switching. I have six current math students, grades pre-k through high school, and one graduate who scored very high on his math SAT. Some are "math naturals", some are not, and your program meets all our needs. I used to use the Foundations-Advanced, but last year made a major investment and bought Alpha-Zeta. You have done an excellent job in making a good program great. Then I come to the web site to order new student books for one child, and I find Online Drill (!!!) and a worksheet generator. Wow!

I sit and watch you explain math to my student and me nearly every day, and I just wanted to take a minute and tell you thanks.

Tina Roberts, Georgia

Hello,

Just a note of thanks! We brought our 10 year old daughter home from private school last year. Her school taught 'touch' math, and we discovered she was counting instead of adding.

In light of that knowledge, we started with Alpha, as we wanted her to begin again with addition facts. What a difference in attitude towards Math, and in understanding overall! Our daughter went from listing Math as her least favorite subject to liking Math because she now understands and can apply what she knows.

When she tested with WJIII, her results were what we expected with the timed tests, as we do not do timed drills at home. However, we were pleasantly surprised with the application score, as it was a whole score (year) above everything else.

Thanks again for making such a wonderful program, and helping alleviate the fears of 'starting over.' It is so worth the journey as now our daughter can actually apply what she knows, and doesn't rely on counting to get her through a tough problem. She is now in the middle of Beta, and we should be in Gamma before summer 2007, so the fears of being way behind were just ungrounded.

Cathie

My daughters used to cry over math. I know you have heard that story before. We were "lucky" to get any problems correct. My son on the other hand, loved math. He did very well. We felt the Lord lead us to your program, and what a difference! The girls get it!! They enjoy working out the math problems. My daughter finished algebra with an A. All those problems and only a couple silly mistakes. She could have gotten a 100%. My son didn't want to change programs and was upset with us at first. Now, he is thanking us for switching. He is a natural at math and thought he understood it. Now he truly does get it and understand the concepts. He loves the way you make math make sense. We all do. Thank you.

Dawn
Wisconsin

Dear Steve Demme,

I have been using MUS with my nearly 10-year-old son for nearly 5 years now. We started in Kindergarten and he's now 1/2 way through Epsilon. We switched to Delta 1/2 way through Intermediate.

This has been one of the best curriculum choices I have made. You make it SO easy for me and for him! And, the new program is absolutely perfect.

Thank you so much for taking the time to create this curriculum. You have saved many people many hours.

I recommend Math-U-See over and over and over. And I explain in detail WHY it's the best.

Blessings,
Susan Clare

I'm a chemist and a mother of 3. My kids are 10, 8, and 5. I was just watching your DVD for Epsilon and had to stop and write you. (I got goose-bumps and was so happy with the program.)

My college major was Chemistry/Physics/Math Education. I chose to work as a chemist until I had kids, but teaching is in my heart. Besides my own kids, I do get to teach chemistry part-time at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. I'm continually aware of those students who don't know the math concepts like they should.

I found your program through another homeschool mom when my 10 year old was pre-school age and immediately fell in love with it. I so very much appreciate your approach to math. What an amazing start these kids are getting by learning to think and understand, not just memorize formulas! My kids understand math far beyond their peers...and you should see the structures they can make with the math blocks. My 5 year old has known how to make 10s for a couple of years now. My 8 year old learned her multiplication largely from making rectangles with her little brother. My 10 year old is starting fractions. She loves the overlays and seeing the patterns. Math is a joy for me to teach and for them to learn. Thank you!!

These new DVD's and books are awesome. I like the re-organization of them. I used the others up until this year. I like the student texts with the word problems included and the teacher's books are even better than ever. It might sound silly, but I can't wait to see how you teach the higher math skills. I want to buy them all just out of curiosity. Smile.

Thank you so much for sharing your mind with us....your math mind as well as your Christian mind. Thanks for taking a stand and being an example worth following. I speak highly of you as a person and as a teacher whenever I get the opportunity.

May God bless you and your family,
Estella Schmeltzer

Thank you for sharing your work with us. My daughter has gone from tears to triumph with the Math·U·See curriculum. She just finished Delta with a 98% test average. After 20 years of homeschooling 5 children before her, I was at a loss when she started seeing "math" as a four letter word. Well, that is cured thanks to the Gamma and Delta books. While she is now 12, turning 13 soon, she is energized to push forward. This school year she whizzed through those two books and when we resume our school year in January she has pledged to do Epsilon and Zeta in one year. Her turn-around is spectacular. Thanks.

I was reviewing your web site, and had a comment about Cathy Duffy's review. But first, let me explain my experiences with Math·U·See.

Our son has always been taught with Math·U·See (by me), and he is an excellent math student. I never "really" knew if he were "talented" in math or whether Math·U·See was responsible for his excellent skills. He has done very well on math achievement tests throughout the years.

My husband is the one who has been in charge of teaching our daughter math. You'll love this...he didn't want to "mess" with the DVD's or manipulatives. He was taught math the traditional way, and he was convinced there was no need for the Math·U·See that was sitting on our shelf from our older son.

I gently tried to convince him that I really thought Math·U·See would be a better option, particularly in the lower levels. But no, he was going to use a traditional course. I sat back and waited. Well, our daughter struggled with math. She absolutely detested math. He kept thinking she wasn't listening, wasn't trying hard enough, maybe she was slow in math, etc. She just needed MORE practice. Sigh.

Again, I suggested that he ought to try Math·U·See. My daughter was ready to switch because she knew her brother loved math. I said to my husband that he didn't have anything to lose. I re-ordered the materials and got DVD's because I had older video versions ...I wanted to make this as painless as possible for my husband!

Well, now after using Math·U·See, guess who thinks she is GOOD in math? Our daughter! Guess who loves Math·U·See now? My husband! He now promotes Math·U·See whenever someone asks what math curriculum he likes best.

Back to Cathy Duffy's comments ...sometimes I think people in the homeschooling community think "harder" and "more" is always better. I liked your response because I think it is more important for students to learn the core material well than spend hours with lots of "fuzzy" math or "fluff" that they aren't going to remember.

I was excited to see your Stewardship course. I have always appreciated your emphasis on application and practicality. The only additional books I would like to see you carry...and they wouldn't have to be written by you necessarily...are books that emphasize mental math. I think mental math is important in every day life.

I want you to know that I have always loved your videos. (I had previewed Videotext Algebra because friends encouraged me to switch...all those dancing numbers on the screen made my head spin! I don't think so.) Your videos are to the point and so easy to understand. Our son always insisted that he get to watch them with me, and now my daughter does the same.

We switched from Foundations to Gamma. I cannot tell you how much we are enjoying the new curriculum, especially the DVD. It includes everything that was missing in Foundations. The DVD teaching is much clearer for the student. We love the way Steve marks out the remaining multiplication problems on the chart. My daughter also loves the math drill page on the web site Thank you!

Dear Mr. Demme,

Just to give you a little background: I am a former public school teacher and adjunct college instructor of 15+ years. I am a certified Reading/Language Arts Consultant. A few years ago, I felt the Lord tug on my heart to homeschool my two young boys. I was not at all worried about the area of Reading, but was a bit intimidated about teaching Math.

Thanks to your wonderful program - my son LOVES Math and I think he has a solid understanding of the subject. The manipulatives build a critical foundation of understanding and the lessons are easy to follow! The video is quite beneficial as well! But what I love most is that I could pick up the phone and talk to Carolyn about specific concerns and/or questions I might have. You have a developed an awesome program!

–Terri in CT

I was at a homeschool conference this summer perusing the exhibit hall. I was at the Math·U·See table eyeing the new curriculum, when I heard someone to my right ask how Math·U·See compared to another curriculum. I turned on my heel and interrupted with, "There is no comparison." I proceeded to explain how much my family enjoyed the program.

We have 5 kids, and have used Math·U·See for eight years. The kids and I love the instructional videos and manipulative approach. I feel that we all understand each math concept so thoroughly before we move on to the next. The older kids are continually reinforcing their knowledge as they help the younger ones use their manipulatives. When I was finished, the sales girl thanked me and said I was hired. :-)

–Stacy, Colorado

For anyone dragging their feet on ordering these books, [Honors Books] just DO it!! They are so great! I absolutely love the practical application to everyday life. Another awesome product, MUS! Thanks!! You just keep making this program better and better!!!

–Amy S.

Dear Steve,

Well at least one of your students has made it to the "big leagues". Elizabeth and I are very proud of Michael and his many accomplishments and we thought you might enjoy an update on one of "your kids". He has worked incredibly hard over the past few years. After completing Math·U·See Trigonometry as a ninth-grader he was very ready for college level calculus. You may remember Michael as he was one of your early "Beta Testers" for the Trig tapes. He will be attending Texas A&M in the fall as a Mechanical Engineering and Math major.

Steve, Thank you for Math·U·See and being a significant part of Michael's becoming an excellent math student and potential engineer.

Regards,
Dan

I wanted to contact you to say THANK YOU! We just started homeschooling our 6 and 8 year old boys this past fall. I was immediately impressed in how teacher friendly the Alpha and Gamma books were. As soon as we got started, my 8 year old son (who despised math and was in tears with his former curriculum) told me he understood what was being taught to him and how easy it was. He started asking to do Math before everything else! Both boys have done fantastic in all of the assignments and tests, we are thrilled and looking forward to the rest of the books in the series! Thank you again for presenting a Math curriculum that finally allows children (and parents!) to comprehend what they are being taught! We are so grateful!

As a homeschooling mom and former math teacher, I am often asked what math curriculum I recommend. I used to suggest Saxon, but with much reservation because it is SO repetitive and boring for most kids. I taught from it for 3 years and also got to be part of a pilot program for it when I did my student teaching. Now I recommend Math·U·See. I love the hands-on approach, especially in the algebra books. I am currently working with a student in Algebra 2 using Math·U·See, and it is so easy to teach. My second grader enjoys his books, too. Thank you for a great product that gives review and explains things so the kids can understand it. Steve Demme is truly a gifted man!