Budgeting. Flossing. Exercising. Studying. Healthy sleep hygiene. In so many aspects of life, whether we experience success or not depends on our habits.

Math is absolutely on the list because here too, success lies in the HABITS. Students do need a good curriculum that is sensible and sets them up for success (small bite-sized lessons, video teaching, physical notes and assignments, robust solutions manual). But that alone won’t be good enough unless it is paired with good learning HABITS. And that is the hardest part to change when it comes to learning math.

You might hate math. Your student might hate math. There might be fights, tears, anger, and anxiety built around math. Math might make your student feel dumb, and who wants to do something that makes them feel dumb? So bad habits like avoiding math lessons, skipping days, rushing through lessons, etc., start to develop. But if you can change these habits (slowly), combined with a sensible curriculum, then you will see a...