If you've been reading Homegrown Learners for any length of time, you know Mr. D is our math hero!

I am NOT a math person, and until last summer my daughter didn't think she was one, either! Anna took Mr. D's Algebra readiness course last summer, and is now completing Algebra I (with an A average - hooray!).

Because my daughter is in the 9th grade, we need to start thinking about taking the SAT.

I contacted Mr. D (because he truly loves to interact with parents and is always available to answer your questions) about Anna taking his online SAT math bootcamp class. Mr. D told me she would benefit from the class and said he could even scale the practice problems for her because she has only completed Algebra I -- the SAT includes Geometry and Algebra II and some Trig.

We enrolled in the bootcamp and I am immensely thankful for all of the information we've BOTH learned about the math portion of the SAT!

Take the Fear out of SAT Math With Mr. D Math SAT Bootcamp

*I have been compensated for this review. All opinions are my own. I was THRILLED to write this post for Mr. D because he has helped our homeschool so much!

About Mr. D Math

(and why we like him so much)

Mr. D (Dennis DiNoia) is a degreed math teacher with a Masters Degree in Education. He has been involved in the education arena for 25 years, and has been a Florida State Certified Secondary Math Teacher since 1988.

I first met Mr. D at a homeschool conference. I attended a math workshop he was giving, and was pleasantly surprised that he engaged (and even excited) me in math! Most of all, however, all of the teens in the room were engaged, laughing, and clearly focused on Mr. D.

From a technical standpoint, the Mr. D math interface is EASY to navigate. We have never had a single technical issue with a live class. His recorded videos (for the self-paced curriculum) are all extremely well done and easily accessible.

Students are responsible for completing their assignments, entering grades, and staying accountable for their work.

When you ask my daughter why she likes Mr. D she will tell you it is because he's FUNNY. He makes math INTERESTING, and he puts it into a LANGUAGE SHE CAN UNDERSTAND.

I appreciate Mr. D because he teaches the grammar of math in an engaging way, and it is obvious that he genuinely cares about each of his students. They day he called Anna a "Math Superstar" was a turning point in her math journey. I could have cried with happiness.

(and my husband will never live down the day his daughter beat him at math... Mr. D made the order of operations a SNAP for a certain 13 year old!)

Mr. D offers live, online classes, and he also offers self paced video curriculum.

(In my daughter's case she met each Tuesday afternoon for 1 hour of test prep with Mr. D for 6 weeks.)

Mr. D offers the following courses:

About Mr. D's SAT Math Bootcamp

(and why we liked this so much, too!)

Mr. D's SAT Math Bootcamp meets for 6 weeks.

To participate in the class students need to have completed Algebra I and be enrolled in or completed Geometry.

Each Tuesday we logged on at 5 p.m. EST. Mr. D sends you reminder emails about the class, then he sends a link to login to the live class.

During the class Mr. D goes over sample practice problems with the students. He points out KEY WORDS for them to look for, and imparts his test taking wisdom throughout! Mr. D also doesn't let any student slide... he makes a point to engage EVERYONE and keeps a great pulse on the understanding of the class.

He takes the FEAR out of the SAT because he gives the students TIPS and TRICKS that work. He teaches them how to approach each question logically, and takes the mystery out of some seemingly very difficult math questions.

I also love that Mr. D talks to the students about CALCULATORS - from how to use them best to which one HE prefers for the SAT.

After the class students can practice more problems (found in the test prep portal) and watch one of Mr. D's many videos.

What if you miss a class? (this is my favorite part!) Mr. D sends out a link to the recording of the class and you can watch it that way.

The tuition for this SAT Math Bootcamp is only $197! This includes all 6 lesson and complete access to everything in the Test Prep Portal (read on to find out about that goodness....). Have you SEEN how much test prep classes cost these days?

Mr. D's price is a deal.

Mr. D's Test Prep Portal

(maybe the best part?)

I wanted to share just a little bit about the test prep portal. You receive full access to this when you take Mr. D's SAT Math Bootcamp. This portal has taught ME so much about test taking strategies (not just in math, by the way), and will provide a lot of extra practice for my daughter.

The portal contains lessons and resources.

LESSONS:

Writing Rubrics
Games for Student Practice
Mr. D Math SAT Video Library
SAT, ACT, and PERT Practice
Practice Tests for the new SAT -- all Areas
Mr. D Supplemental Videos for the New SAT
Mr. D Supplemental Videos for the ACT
EOC (end of course) Practice
Mind Benders - Deductive Thinking

The online portal looks like this:

RESOURCES:

This is a huge list of websites that can be used for additional test practice and preparation.

Connect With Mr. D Math

If you'd like to connect with Mr. D - to find out more about his excellent math offerings for homeschoolers, you can find him in the following places:

I'm so happy we've found an affordable, reliable source for high school math courses and test prep! Feel free to ask me any questions about our experience, or you can always contact Mr. D, too.

Isn't math the eternal struggle for some of us?

If you don't have a "math kid", it can be extremely difficult to find an upper grades curriculum that "works".

For the past two years I feel like we've been limping along in math. I take full responsibility for this - I am the teacher.

The buck stops here.

You see, I've been missing the most important thing .

I got too caught up in Saxon being the gold standard (after all - it is what Classical Conversation recommends for the Challenge program), and forgot to look at MY CHILD and HER NEEDS.

Thank GOD I was led -- by some miracle, really -- to attend a math workshop at FPEA earlier this year with Mr. D. I'm so happy for that hour I spent in his workshop, and for the chain of events that occurred after that day.

The Background Story

I share this with because maybe you can relate.

I have a feeling many of you have struggled with upper grades math or are even struggling now.

Anna (my 9th grader) began homeschooling when she was in the third grade. She has never liked math.

We started with Horizons, and after three years decided to switch to Saxon in sixth grade. Perhaps if she had been doing Saxon from the start it would have worked for her, but Saxon was just too MUCH. It wasn't engaging. It was time consuming.

Add to this the fact that I am not a math person, and it was just a recipe for disaster. I knew we should probably make a change, but I was so frightened to try something different.

I thought Saxon was the only path. Silly, I know.

The math problem kept coming to the front of my mind, and as I went to FPEA in May I decided I MIGHT try to investigate something different for Anna.

Enter Mr. D.

Truthfully, I wanted to go to his workshop because he was talking about strategies to help with the SAT. As I sat in his workshop I was getting excited about math (which is a big deal for me!), and becoming even more excited about the prospect of what kind of high school curriculum Mr. D offered.

Mr. D was artful at capturing everyone's attention, and was encouraging all of us to PLAY WITH NUMBERS... something I know (from a CC Practicum a few years ago) is so valuable for all ages.

I spoke briefly with Mr. D after the workshop and made myself a note to investigate further when I got back home to Georgia.

Summer Math - Algebra Readiness

After I had been home a few weeks, I reached out to Mr. D.

Guess what? He's a homeschooling dad!

After asking some questions about the specifics of his math program, I decided to enroll Anna in a 6 week Algebra Readiness class that is meeting this summer.

Anna logs onto Mr. D. Math every Wednesday afternoon for an hour of basic Algebra instruction... basically making sure she is ready for Algebra I in 9th grade.

Mr. D is humorous, engaging, and genuinely interested in each student. He brings the PERSONAL element to math I have been looking for.

Anna is learning math from someone who LOVES math. Math is no longer drudgery. It might even be somewhat enjoyable for her (grin).

After her hour long class, she receives an email with homework problems from Mr. D. She is given a document with the problems, and another document with the answers. Along with that are a recording of the class, a specially recorded video about the particular concepts covered that day, and any math rules they have gone over.

And guess what? I'm doing Algebra this summer, too!

Mr. D Math is helping ME reclaim MY math education!

And another awesome thing: Anna now enjoys math. When I asked her to rate Saxon on a scale from 1-10 she replied "2". When I asked her the same question about Mr. D math she replied "8".

I could cry with relief. We may have found a math solution for high school.

Anna is already registered for the Algebra I Math Co-Op with Mr. D this year.

When I spoke with her Challenge I tutor about this math change, she happily told me, "I bet Anna will be able to contribute a lot to our math conversations this year!". (This is yet another reason I love the Challenge program.)

Benefits of Mr. D Math

I encourage you to check Mr. D Math out for yourself. It is very well organized and thorough. Mr. D is also great about answering questions via email.

Some of the benefits that I have seen in just a few weeks:

We have NO technical issues with Mr. D's online environment - logging on is easy and he is obviously very tech-savvy.
Mr. D is a degreed math teacher with a LOVE of math and children - I really sense it is his passion to helps kids succeed in math
He's a homeschooling dad. He GETS IT.
NO textbooks to lug around or be bored with - everything is online. I feel like this is a great experience for what my daughter will deal with in the future.
Lots of math vocabulary - as a Classically homeschooling mom, the GRAMMAR of math is important to me. Mr. D uses that grammar often, and I have a sneaking suspicion he's a Classical homeschooling dad, too.
My daughter LIKES it -- and anyone who is homeschooling an almost 14 year old gets the importance of THAT. Yes, I know she can't LIKE everything, but this area is just too important to suffer through, don't you agree?

Getting in the Math Trenches

I promised Anna I would get in the math trenches with her this year.

WE are going to be reclaiming our math education at the same time. I'm excited about that.

Today, we completed 40 problems using rules for the order of operations and adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers.

We had a VERY long problem for the last one -- a type of problem Mr. D practiced a lot with the kids in class this week. I KNEW Anna could get it right.

She asked her dad to sit down with the white board and do the same problem she had -- a math race, if you will.

Guess who won?

This picture speaks volumes.

First, my girl has a large math problem on her white board and she is happily consenting to a picture and SMILING.

This picture gives me faith that math won't be drudgery this year.

It gives me faith that Anna will come to ENJOY math and faith that I will ENJOY math, too.

And, it gives me faith to continue on the path of doing what is right for my child... not to follow a curriculum just because everyone else is doing it, or because it's "the best".

I'm sure you will hear a lot more about Mr. D math this year. I will be sure to keep you updated.

And - for those of you who are wondering, my 5th grader, Grant, will continue with Saxon right now. It WORKS for him and he LIKES it.

Funny how that works, isn't it?

Talk to me about math in your homeschool. Please tell me I'm not alone in our struggles.

Let's support each other in the comments below.

SAT Math Bootcamp With Mr. D