One Step at a Time
Hey Reader,
This past week, much of the South was snowed in, and with that came stalled plans.
Missed activities.
Canceled learning pod.
Canceled tutoring.
No therapy.
No normal routines.
Everything felt a little… stuck.
Well, stuck in the sense of not being able to get out of the house!
I’m a homebody at heart, so I decided to treat the snow as an opportunity! I was able to clean my office, rearrange my desk (it’s so cute now!), and make home feel more cozy.
Snow has a funny way of reminding us that sometimes, no matter how much we plan, life presses pause, and we can choose to let it ruin our day, or run with it and make it into something special (or productive 😅).
And honestly? Math feels the same way sometimes.
LIFE
When snow hits, we don’t usually panic and decide we’re failing at life. We adjust. We slow down. We stay home. We pivot.
For example, we did learning pod online. We spent extra time cleaning our house instead of going out to teach. And we did some extra one-on-one work with our daughter instead of going to speech therapy.
But in school, and especially in math (homeschooled or not!), we often interpret “stuck” as something going wrong.
A child doesn’t understand.
Progress stalls.
Frustration rises.
And suddenly it feels urgent to push through. What if we GASP fall behind?!
Snow days have reminded me that being stuck doesn’t mean we’re done moving forward. It just means we have to change how we move.
You do NOT have to keep pushing when life is lifing and everything feels overwhelming. Just like we simplify our routines, or reset our rhythms, or protect our peace in the home by turning down extra “things” that keep us busy in life, we can do the same in our schooling…
HOMESCHOOL + MATH
…when math (or any subject!) feels hard, or even insurmountable, the solution is rarely “do more.”
Instead, the solution is to slow down. Zoom in. Really get to the heart of what is happening.
So here’s how we can get unstuck, especially during weeks when routines are already disrupted:
1. Talk more than you work.
Snow days are perfect for discussion-based math. Ask your child how they’re thinking. What part makes sense? What part doesn’t? Talking lowers pressure and often reveals misunderstandings faster than worksheets ever could. Bonus points if you pull out manipulatives and let the student “play” with math while you talk.
For elementary students, when you are stuck, get out your base-ten blocks or your geometry shapes. Let them play with them. Don’t talk, don’t try to lead, just observe.
What do you notice? Are they randomly building or moving the blocks? Or are they seeing how many it takes to make another? Or maybe moving them to different groups, building to see how many they can fit in a space. This type of play helps build number sense in a no-pressure, super fun way. When you start butting heads, let them PLAY with their math. You’ll be amazed at the results. This works with middle and even high schoolers as well!
If your student is making connections on their own, you can give them vocabulary by stating what they are doing. For example, if they are grouping blocks, you can say “I see you have ten one blocks next to your ten rod. Ten ones makes one ten! How many ones make two tens?”
Playing with numbers and manipulatives is FUN, and so kids retain what they intuitively learn about numbers. And that is most definitely a win!
2. Scale the problem.
Especially for middle and high school students, manipulatives alone may not solve the problem because the concepts are more abstract.. So, if the problem is too big, make it smaller. Change the numbers and make them “friendly” numbers. Remove a step. Strip it down to its simplest form.
If you are working on simplifying expressions and 4x + 5y - 9 + 5x - 6y + 9 is too overwhelming, take a step back. Start with 4x + 5x. Then 5y - 6y.
If you are working with area, or perimeter, or word problems, and fractions or decimals are a stumbling block, remove them! What would be the answer if we just used whole numbers? How can we apply that idea to do the same with with the fractions?
Remember, scaling isn’t going backward, it’s creating access.
3. Walk backward until they can answer.
What if scaling still doesn’t work and your student is still struggling?
Find the last point where your student feels confident and start there. Build forward one step at a time. Momentum comes from success, not struggle.
Let’s go back to that simplifying expressions problem. Say you step back and try 4x + 5x, but they still can't answer. Go back even farther. What is a term? What is a like term? What does 4x mean? What does 5x mean? So what does 4x + 5x mean?
Once you find the step they can answer, walk forward a bit at a time till you get back to the concept you were at in the first place. If you need to stop at one of the stepping stones to that concept and work on that for a bit, do that! Progress towards mastery is better than completing what they “are supposed to be doing” every single time.
After all, mastery one small step, even if it’s not the one they are “supposed” to be at, is what we consider progress—even when plans are stalled, snow is on the ground, and we are stuck in a house for days on end 😅
Remember:
Discussion is learning.
Review is progress.
Understanding matters more than finishing.
Snow days don’t erase growth, they often strengthen foundations.
GRACE
Let this be an encouragement to you: moving forward is all that is asked of us. Not perfection, but progress:
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord.” — Psalm 37:23
Not leaps.
Not giant breakthroughs.
Not perfection.
Steps.
And when those steps feel hard to take or you are drowning in all the things thrown at you:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
and in case you are wondering, yes, I have used that verse before. Yes, I will probably use it again and again and again!
We aren’t asked to have enough strength for everything, we just need enough grace for today.
If you and your family, or students, feel stuck right now, either in math or in life, know this: being stuck does not equal being “behind,” nor does it mean we can’t make progress, however small it might be.
God meets us in these moments, establishes our steps, and provides what we need for this day. ❤️
WHAT’S COMING (Quick Note)
I’m SO close, y’all. I’ve been working on many things, focusing my brand, getting consistent with one thing at a time, and I'm ALMOST ready to launch my next adventure!
Any guesses? I’d love to hear what you think I am launching, or what you think I SHOULD launch next! Hit reply and let me know - I read every single one!
As always, if this idea of getting “unstuck” resonates with you, I’d love to hear what that looks like in your homeschool, life, or classroom right now. What feels stalled? What’s the next small step you’re taking? I can’t wait to hear from you!
See you soon!
- Mrs. Holman
