Mathnasium Parsippany Impressions After Week 1

Photo courtesy of Mathnasium.

My previous article, posted on July 24, talked about why I was in the market for a math center for my kids, and why I ultimately opted to try Mathnasium in Parsippany.

In this installment, I thought I'd address my initial impressions about the center from our first week to weigh whether the initial sales pitch lines up with what I see in action.

Instruction Time
Kids sign in electronically. You are entitled to up to 1 hour of instruction up to 5 days per week, plus you can align the hours to visit during the math game time, which is an additional half an hour. You can come at any time during open hours, which they post here.

My impression: There are always enough seats and instructors when we've come in. It's orderly and quick to check them in.

Daily Strategy Game Time
The games are simple, but appealing:

• Tactile games that make my younger daughter's eyes light up, like a big, bright, oversized lego set, as well as a huge jenga game.
• Card games, including enormous playing cards, as well as Uno.
• A table tennis set that provides space for bodies that need to be at motion.

The best part? The instructors play with the kids. I've seen them enthusiastically slapping cards down during Uno, serving up a ball across the table tennis net and keeping things in order, but still making it a fun and inviting time for the kids.

Working together as a team
I don't feel like a number there - the Center Director recognizes me and my daughters. The owner has introduced herself. The teachers are all very friendly. When I ask questions whether it's about billing or the instruction, they are quick to respond.

Why might this approach work?

1. Unlike school, kids go at their own pace, and they can't move forward until they understand the lesson. If they make a mistake they have to correct it, and the instructors also ask the child to verbally explain their reasoning.
2. It's in town, so I'm finding it easy to fit in an hour most days. See my previous article for my gym theory.
3. You begin at the beginning. Before starting, the kid takes a test to see what they know. What's more interesting is what they don't know. The Center builds an individual book (no two kids have the same book) around the cracks in their math foundation, then they create an individualized plan to rebuild.

My older daughter's general impression
"They don't do it all the time, but some of the Center teachers zoom around on rolling chairs helping people, which is kind of funny. The instructors tell you which pages in your binder to do. The instructors are all nice. You just have to tell them if you need help, and they will."

"Most of the prizes are interesting - although, a lot are erasers. I think it will take months or possibly years to get to the big prize box. I'm saving up for a bigger prize, though."

Future posts
Ultimately, I'd like to write about how this impacts my kids' grades. In the interim, I may post some updates, and would like to continue the series and also talk to other parents and see what alternative math assistance they have tried or considered.