Back to School, Together

Dear Parents and Teachers,

Already the store aisles are full of loose-leaf paper and folders and there are little bins popping up in between to hold glue sticks, pencils and markers.  As a teacher I see these and mentally note that I need to start getting my act together and prepare for the upcoming school year.  As a parent I start to dread trying to successfully plan and navigate evenings filled running here and there to lessons, practices, and extracurriculars only to arrive home tired and hungry and find out that there is still homework to be done and a test to study for.

In my experiences of being a mom, teacher, tutor, friend and coworker, what I want you to know is that we are all connected and in this together!  When it comes to a child’s education, it takes a village.  Yet somehow there still seems to be a disconnect between teachers and parents.  This is especially evident when it comes to helping our students and children succeed in MATH. 

We can communicate and work together on spelling words, hitting independent reading goals, learning the phases of the water cycle, planning parties and raising funds, but when it comes to being on the same page with long division or the order of operations, well…. we drop the ball. 

So why is getting on the same page in math such a challenge? 

1. One reason is because the expectations and curriculum for math changed drastically, and continues to change each year, from when parents were in school, and they have no idea how to help their child.  Even when it comes to skills that parents did learn when they were in school, they have forgotten them (which is completely normal and okay parents!).
2. Another reason is because there is no clear direction or guidance available for parents to use and follow.  Trying to help your child with math turns into a frustration marathon of searching the internet and watching one video after another not really knowing if it's the right video or not.
3. Finally, teachers barely have enough time to plan a meaningful lesson, teach it and assign the homework, much less create resources for parents on each lesson.  Most of us will tell you that we are never able to cover all of the math lessons and chapters we are supposed to in a school year.  It’s A LOT of material and no matter how well you plan, things always come up that set you back like assemblies, weather days, flu season, etc. 

This is where we can help. Co-founded by a licensed teacher actively teaching in the public school system every day, and a parent literally in the trenches helping her child in math at the dining room table each night, we formed Ignite Learning Company with the dream of creating a bridge in math between teachers and parents that will ultimately bring math proficiency to more students. We have worked hard to develop math guides and online courses that are beneficial to both teachers and parents and are proud to say we helped over 3,500 of you during the 2022-23 school year. {Download your FREE Grade-Level Math Guide here}

Now, we are excited to announce our new Math Hero Membership that will be launching for the 2023 -2024 school year for grades 3rd-6th!  We took a deep dive into the math curriculum for grades 3rd-6th for each nine weeks of the school year and pulled out the 36 math skills for each of these grades that are not only the most crucial for student success in math, but also the skills that students (and parents :) seem to struggle with the most. 

• Math Hero for Teachers includes math worksheets, video lessons, printable resources and more done for you and hand delivered to your inbox with a new skill each week! These resources offer countless opportunities to implement in your classroom such as student morning work/bellringers, homework, enrichment opportunities for students ready to move ahead, intervention resources for students that need more instruction, or even instruction and repeated practice for special education students with a disability in math. Your Math Hero Membership is your secret weapon for teaching math!
• Math Hero for Parents includes homework help, video tutorials, printable guides and more delivered to your inbox each week following a typical school schedule. It's like having your favorite math teacher as your own private tutor, Math Hero was created for students in 3rd - 6th grade (and their parents!) and focuses on the most important skills they should be mastering in each grade. Your membership includes multiple resources for each skill, all organized in one place and ready when you need them.  

The National Assessment of Educational Progress 2022 test results for mathematics showed the “largest declines in achievement since the assessments began,” with 64% of 4th graders performing below proficient.  

The new school year is approaching quickly, and our students and children need a Math Hero - they need you!