Today, I am talking about how to make homeschooling easier with Mr. D Math Live, but first I’d like to share the backstory…

Homeschooling was never on my radar. I loved working in inner-city Boston as a school psychologist. My husband and I are both products of public education and I just assumed we’d send our kids to public school because that’s what people do. Well, in 2014, life threw us a curveball. Our oldest son did not fit in that proverbial box and we found ourselves suddenly, unexpectedly, homeschooling.

In the beginning, I was completely overwhelmed. I was flying by the seat of my pants and worrying about alllll the things. 

It can be incredibly intimidating to be tasked with homeschooling a profoundly gifted child. I had a hard time staying in the moment because I kept worrying about alllll the things I would need to teach him. I hadn’t multiplied fractions in decades, I couldn’t remember the formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius. And what the heck was a dangling participle?

I am happy to report that I’ve relaxed quite a bit since those early days. Homeschooling has been my favorite curveball. I wouldn’t change this journey for the world and yet, if we’re being totally honest here, I still sometimes worry about math.

This year, I outsourced math and it was the best decision for all of us. Today, I’d like to tell you why!

How to make homeschool life easier with Mr. D. Math

*Disclosure: I received access to Mr. D Math’s prealgebra course at no cost and I was compensated for my time to write a review. I was not required to write a positive review. As always, I only share resources that I would use with my own family and those that I believe other families will enjoy. My son *loves* Mr. D Math. Keep reading to find out why!

How to make homeschool life easier with Mr. D. Math

When I look at our homeschool and our routine, I honestly love most of it. Yes, we have tricky days and challenging seasons. No, our homeschool isn’t perfect. Yes, there are things I could improve upon. But, I love it.

That said, math is my least favorite part. I always performed well in math, but I do not feel that I received adequate teaching. When my kids ask me a question, I feel I lack the language to explain the concepts. 

And I feel like my kids are mathier than I ever was. I could be wrong here; it’s entirely possible that I was mathy when I was their age. I just don’t feel I am mathy now. 

And the absolute last thing I want is for my children to dislike math. I want the sparkle to stay in their eyes. I want them to be enchanted by the magic of math.

Last year, we hired a fantastic math tutor for one day a week. She was on break from college, where she was majoring in math. She delighted in my children and they delighted in her. Together, they solved problems and chatted math and had a blast.

This year, for the first time, I’ve experienced battles over math with my oldest son. He loves math and is a very strong student, but oh the battles!

Enter Mr. D Math Live.

Best. Decision. Ever!

About Mr. D

Dennis DiNoia is a secondary education math teacher who left the public school classroom to develop his own online curriculum. His goal was to help students understand math as a language and to incorporate problem-solving skills they could transfer to their own lives.

It was tough for me to capture him on video during class, so here is a screenshot from the Mr. D Math site:

Mr. D’s courses are offered as live classes that meet at a regular time each week or as self-paced courses that you can work through on your own schedule.

The following courses are currently available:

• Pre-Algebra
• Algebra I
• Geometry
• Algebra II
• Pre-Calculus with Trig
• Test Taking Boot Camps (SAT and ACT)

• Algebra I
• Geometry 
• Algebra II
• Pre-Calculus with Trigonometry  

We have been using the live pre-algebra course and we love it!

See Mr. D’s course catalog HERE.

What we love about Mr. D Math

My oldest son enrolled in a live prealgebra class with Mr. D back in August of 2018. Initially, he belly-ached that I was making him “do math in August” but those complaints quickly disappeared.

My son absolutely adores Mr. D! He’s never late for class (and if you know him in real life, you know this says a lot!).

Best part? I always hear him giggling during class!

Mr. D is charismatic, engaging, funny, and an incredible cheerleader. Here is a clip from the third day of pre-algebra, way back in September:

I love how Mr. D encourages his students!

Every class starts off with Mr. D welcoming each student. He’s typically humming or singing, and he often shares jokes: 

As Mr. D is welcoming students, humming, and joking, he also preps the kids for the day ahead:

My son has adored this entire year with Mr. D and has repeatedly asked if I will sign him up for Algebra in August.

(Yes, he wants to do math in August!)

Here he is, talking about Mr. D Math. He can’t keep that smile off his face, you guys!

And just in case you’re curious about Skateboard Guy, you can see him in action here:

Mr. D offers extra help sessions each week for students who are struggling or those who have additional questions. I love how students are expected to stay organized and complete daily assignments. My son has found the assignments to be super manageable. He loves that he can check his work for errors and enter grades for daily assignments. 

Mr. D Math makes homeschool life easier!

See Mr. D’s course catalog HERE.

Love math? Check out these resources:

• How to Make Homeschool Math Amazing and Fun
• Gameschooling: The Best Math Games for Your Homeschool
• 10+ Math Picture Books Your Kids Will Love
• If You Read Your Kids a Math Book…
• Educational Stocking Stuffers: Math and Logic

Be sure to follow Mr. D Math

See Mr. D’s course catalog HERE. You can follow Mr. D Math on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: Have you tried Mr. D. Math? Do you have a math resource you are loving? Share here!