Growth You Can’t See Yet?
Hey Reader,
Here is a question I want you to think about for just a moment before you keep reading:
Think about the last time your child finished a math lesson. How did you know they actually understood it?
Hit reply and tell me in one sentence — I am genuinely curious, and your answer is going to make a lot of sense by the time you finish reading this week. 💛
LIFE
Spring is doing that thing it does where everything that looked completely dormant a few weeks ago is suddenly, unmistakably alive again, and I find myself noticing it more than usual this year. The trees in neck of the woods that looked like nothing but bare branches all winter are full of tiny green leaves now, and I keep thinking about how much was happening beneath the surface during all those months when nothing was visible at all.
Growth that you cannot see is still growth, and I think that is one of the most important things a homeschool mom (or anyone really!) can hold onto, especially in the seasons when progress feels invisible and you are not sure whether anything is actually sticking.
More on that in a minute.
HOMESCHOOL + MATH
Last week we talked about what mastery actually is: that it’s not just getting the right answer, but also being able to solve the problem, explain why the process works, and apply the concept in a new context. This week I want to get even more practical, because knowing the definition of mastery and knowing how to recognize it in your actual child, sitting at your actual kitchen table, are two very different things.
So let's talk about the signs of genuine understanding, and the specific questions you can ask to check for it.
Sign 1: They can explain it in their own words. When a child truly understands a concept, they can tell you what they did and why they did it, not in the words from the textbook but in their own language, often with an analogy or an example they came up with themselves. If your child can only repeat the steps back to you verbatim but cannot explain the reasoning behind them, the procedural skill may be there but the understanding is still developing.
A great question to ask: "Can you explain to me why that works?" or "How would you explain this to a younger kid who had never seen it before?" That second question is especially powerful because teaching something to someone else is one of the highest demonstrations of real understanding.
Sign 2: They can catch and correct their own mistakes. A child who genuinely understands a concept can look at a wrong answer and figure out where the reasoning broke down, not just erase it and try again until they get something that looks right. They can actually trace back through the process and identify the specific moment things went off track. This kind of self-correction is a reliable indicator that understanding is present, because you can’t troubleshoot a process you don’t actually understand.
A great question to ask when they get something wrong is: "Walk me through what you were thinking here?" You don’t even have to say they are wrong right away. Often, if they truly understand, they will catch their error while explaining. You don’t even need to tell them they were wrong!
Sign 3: They can apply it somewhere new. This is the most reliable test of genuine mastery and also the most underused one. If your child has been practicing solving one-step equations with whole numbers, give them a one-step equation with a decimal and see what happens. If the understanding is real, they will be able to transfer it to the new context even if it feels unfamiliar at first. If the understanding is more surface-level, the new context will feel like a completely different problem and they will not know where to start.
A great question to ask: "This problem looks a little different — what do you think is the same about it, and what do you think is different?"
You don’t need a formal assessment or special curriculum to check for mastery. You just need these three signs and a few good questions, and you’ll know far more about where your child actually is than any completed worksheet can tell you.
GRACE
Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17: "You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit." (ESV)
You will know them by their fruit. I love this image because it is so patient and so honest about how long good fruit actually takes to appear. A tree does not produce fruit the day it is planted, or the week, or often even the season, and nobody looks at a young tree in early spring and declares it fruitless because the fruit has not appeared yet. You look at the roots, and the leaves, and the health of what is growing, and you trust the process.
That is exactly what you are doing when you check for understanding using the signs and questions we talked about today. You are looking at the tree, not just waiting for the fruit, and you’re learning to recognize the signs of healthy growth long before the final harvest appears. The fruit is coming, and the work you’re doing right now in your homeschool is producing something real and lasting, even on the days when you can’t see it yet. Our God who, tends the vineyard, sees every bit of it.
Trust the process. Tend the tree. The fruit will come. 💛
So, did you hit reply yet with your answer to the opening question? If not, scroll back up and send it before you close this email! I really do read every single one, and your answer genuinely helps me know how to serve you better this month. 💛
See you soon,
Mrs. Holman
