Elephants, wasabi and algebra

I've been helping my 12 year old with algebra. So far so good, although algebra is a lot easier than integral calculus.

I've discovered a few things while tutoring my scholastically challenged middle child.

1. Repetition really helps
2. Silly examples reduce tension
3. I get a sense of accomplishment out of his success

The poor kid was incredibly frustrated - he's used to math being easy for him, and this wasn't. It wasn't easy, it wasn't intuitive, and he wasn't getting the right answers. Also, the concept of transforming each side by doing an opposite function is hard to grasp.

My example.

Cheese/Wasabi*wasabi=cheese

I don't think this actually worked, except to stem the flow of tears of frustration. And honestly, if you're frustrated to the point of tears, you aren't learning.

He got through the questions. And the quiz. And got the 3rd highest mark in the class. Which gave him something quite rare in his educational history - a sense of pride in his accomplishment. As his mother and wasabi inspired tutor, I share his pride.

Isn't that one of the deadly sins? Yet in this instance it's inspiring my son to work harder - and this is a kid who almost failed grade 6. It turns out if you do none of your assignments, don't hand in tests and fail quizes, they can actually fail you. He pulled his act together in time to hit grade 7, and is doing marginally better. Summer school is a distinct possibility. But not for algebra!