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Our kids have always been good students, but this year (sixth grade) for Mackenzie has been a struggle, especially concerning math. This is the year when all the underlying lessons of years past come together as the children begin to apply addition, subtraction, division, etc. to ratios and other new abstract concepts.

We could see the frustration and sadness wounding her face when she reported to us a few months ago that, despite all our evenings at kitchen table trying to help her, once again she failed to get a passing grade.  Mackenzie is a very bright student, and we believed her inability to grasp the complex math concepts was not a result of ineptitude but of improper instruction at school.  After numerous talks with her teacher did not yield any better results, we decided that now was the time for us to step in and get her the professional help she needed.

The tutor we found loves math and kids, and most importantly, Mackenzie took immediately to her. Lori’s heart swelled when she heard from another room when the tutor asked her what she hoped to achieve with the tutoring. Mack replied,” I just want to know that I can do it. I want to succeed in math!

Isn’t success at the tasks of life something we all want? Life is filled with lots of obstacles, hills that we must climb to survive. And just like my little girl, oftentimes we just need a helping hand, a mentor to show us that we too can do it! Success requires that we apply the basics of math, learning to “add” the right things and “subtract” the wrong from our life. When we do, the problems can be “divided” and good stuff “multiplied.”

When you find yourself struggling with something or if you keep on falling down, back up and look around for someone who can help you. Many times it’s not that we can’t do something, we merely need to be shown how.

Oh yes, and for those who may be curious, broad smiles and yells of joy filled the room the other day as we read all three of our kids’ fantastic report cards. And Mackenzie, well, she couldn’t have been happier as she saw—Math: “A.”