Does the thought of teaching your child high school trigonometry or calculus cause you to panic and break out in a cold sweat? Well, Dr. Callahan has developed a remedy for your math anxiety: AskDrCallahan (www.askdrcallahan.com/). AskDrCallahan is a complete college prep high school curriculum including courses in algebra, geometry, algebra 2 with trigonometry, and calculus.

Dr. Dale Callahan is both a homeschool father and an engineering professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He knows exactly what you need to do to help your child master advanced concepts and succeed at the college level. His courses include a DVD for each lesson, along with the best standard college-level textbooks. Free support and a money-back guarantee are also available.

To learn more about Dr. Callahan and the courses, TOS decided to do what his course name suggested—ask Dr. Callahan.

TOS: How did you develop your interest in mathematics?

Dr. Callahan: I really did not much care for math when I was in high school. I was talented enough at doing math—but I would not say I was interested. I just liked what math could do for me. It was not until later, when I was teaching at the college level, that I discovered what math is all about. I began to see how math is a language that we use to communicate complicated facts of nature. It was then that I began to see a beauty—not in the math, but in the way math reveals truth about the world.

TOS: How did you get interested in homeschooling as an educational option for your family?

Dr. Callahan: We did not get interested. We were totally against it. One day a coworker I respected told me that he homeschooled his six children. Both our daughters were students at a private school, so I thought he was crazy. I even went home that night and told Lea how nuts this guy was. Then everyone we met from that time on homeschooled. We decided God was trying to get our attention, so we started to investigate. All we heard were wonderful things. I knew there must be another side to the story, so we set a meeting with the head of the private school to get his opinion on the homeschooling craze. I thought he certainly must have a sense of reason. When we approached him, he said, and I quote, “I think homeschooling is the best thing a parent can do for their child.” He went on to say that it was not for everyone, but he was very clear about the fact that he strongly believed in it.

TOS: Why did you develop your homeschool math courses?

Dr. Callahan: We started homeschooling our daughters when they were in high school. Friends would ask us, “What are you going to do about math?” We would explain that math was not our concern; teaching them English and literature would be a bigger issue for us. They often would say, “Well, can my son/daughter come over and you teach them as well?” We ended up with three years of classroom instruction in algebra, geometry, algebra 2 with trig, calculus, physics, and biology. However, it was becoming harder to manage, so we explored other options for teaching high school subjects. Thus, the DVD series was born.

TOS: How did you filter through all the many math programs and decide which texts to use for your courses?

Dr. Callahan: It first started as part of my university job. In engineering, we usually do not see the students until they are in their second year, after they have completed most of their three required calculus courses. We were trying to determine why most students failed in college calculus before we even saw them. We interviewed the staff of the math department at the university, and they explained that the best students came from one of two public schools in the area. (Yes, I said public schools.)

So we went and interviewed these schools and asked them what they did differently. The number-one issue was that they used college-level textbooks! So when we started homeschooling, it was clear to us what to do. Our search began by looking at many of the college textbooks available. We found the best ones and put them in front of the homeschool students we were teaching. Together we determined what was the best fit.

TOS: The course assignments do not have the student complete every problem in every lesson. Will students still learn and retain information that they are taught if every problem is not worked?

Dr. Callahan: We get that question a lot! It seems that the most popular homeschooling math courses require the student to work every problem. This almost never happens in the better high schools or in college.

Math is a toolbox. A toolbox may contain a hammer, but I do not need to hammer in thousands of nails to develop my skill with a hammer. What I need to do is build, and that requires knowing how to use a hammer and when to use a hammer. By having students work every problem, we would be missing the point; we would be making them perfect at hammering a nail—only to find they are using a nail where a screw should be implemented.

We also liken math to grammar. In grammar we learn about nouns and verbs and how to diagram a sentence. But the point of grammar is to develop a set of tools we use to read and write. Likewise, math is the grammar of the universe. Understanding math allows us to communicate at a much deeper level of understanding about the complex things going on in nature. Math is simply a language that allows us to understand complex things.

At the university level, we prefer to have students who understand the concepts to those who have worked all the problems but who still do not understand the concepts. Trust me, we see lots of students who can work every problem but still have no understanding of what they are doing or why.

TOS: What is your math philosophy?

Dr. Callahan: Often—too often—math is taught in a sterile academic environment void of meaning or real world applications. I find that boring, as do most high school students.

The countries whose students perform best in math teach more applied math. Students see math being used as a set of tools as opposed to doing a study of the math grammar alone. Unfortunately, many math programs do not teach applied math.We do.

TOS: How can a parent encourage a child who is not motivated to study advanced math concepts?

Dr. Callahan: That is a tough one. You must motivate him. Learning is not forced in; it must be drawn out. I think the keys are to first understand what does motivate him and then let him take some ownership. Then, by letting him help choose the curriculum, we let him become part owner of his education. After all, we are teaching lifelong learners, so we need to teach them to explore and go after education rather than force it down their throats.

My work at the university is mostly with seasoned professionals, many of whom have made careers out of things they never really loved. They were good enough to do the work and pass classes, but they never really had a passion. I would rather tie into a student’s passion and design a curriculum around and for him and his passion than follow a sterile academic “scope and sequence.” I know some things have to be done, but we often have a great more flexibility than we even realize. For math we must remember that math is in all nature and all subjects: music, sports, astronomy, race cars, cooking, etc. With your child, identify his interests and then use that as the bridge to mathematics.

TOS: Is there a point to studying calculus if you’re not going to be an engineer or pursue the hard sciences?

Dr. Callahan: That is a hard question to answer, but here are some factors we suggest people consider. First, if you are trying to maximize ACT or SAT scores for scholarships, then the more math you take, the higher the math score. That fact is documented. Second, the use of calculus is not limited to the hard sciences. Calculus is the study of change, and in business we have lots of things changing. For instance, how does the change in gas prices impact the demand for gas? This can be modeled and will likely end up in a calculus equation. Third, we encourage parents and students to think about what they plan to do. Does it require college? If so, what degrees are needed and what schools should be sought out? Ask that college what they want from your student.

One other argument we hear from parents with daughters is that “our daughter is just going to marry and have children, so she has no need for the advanced subjects.” As the father of two daughters, I understand the idea, but I believe being well educated has nothing to do with going to college. Any young woman will still be living in this society. Advanced subjects help her understand and interpret the world around her. Furthermore, what if she becomes the educator of her children? She will surely need it then.

TOS: How does a parent prepare their children for the high school math years and your curriculum?

Dr. Callahan: Algebra is just basic math made abstract. To take algebra you need to know basic math operations, the concept of a variable (which most secondgraders can get), how to graph points, and the idea of an equation. Once they get this and can think in abstract terms, then they can do algebra. The rest just follows. I find that kids are ready for algebra sooner than we think.

TOS: You wrote an excellent essay about what to teach in high school.Your starting point was God’s Word. Why do you include this in a website devoted to high school math?

Dr. Callahan: Math is the key to our current product space, but it is not our mission. We are about preparing your student for college and life. I coach people from high schoolers to professionals on a daily basis, and I see similar issues in all. The general mentality in our society is to go to college, get a job, work, have kids and then have them do the same. All the while, we end up in debt and many hate their jobs. However, due to debt they find themselves enslaved by their own actions.

It occurred to me that we often teach our kids in the same manner. We teach them about Scripture and tell them it should rule all their lives—but does it guide their education? Often it does not. We are trapped doing the “normal” and not questioning what society tells us to do. For instance, we almost never talk to parents who do not assume their child will go to college. Why? Is this really required of everyone? We also talk to our kids about getting a good job, but we rarely talk to them in terms of making a living. Those are very different ideas. Also, we rarely work to educate our kids on their obvious callings: being parents themselves one day.

TOS: Your high school math sequence does not include pre-calculus, yet many other programs do. Is pre-calculus necessary?

Dr. Callahan: It depends on labeling. For college textbooks, which we use, algebra 2 with trigonometry is the equivalent of precalculus. High school textbooks will sometimes have the course broken into two one-year courses. However, much of the confusion comes from the titles of textbooks rather than from actual content. Publishers often title one book Algebra II With Trigonometry and title an almost identical book Pre-Calculus. They want to be able to sell the same material to a large market, so they label their textbooks accordingly. As for us, we follow the basic approach that better high schools and most colleges follow.

TOS: How effective is your curriculum in regard to preparation for the ACT/SAT or Advanced Placement Testing?

Dr. Callahan: Very. The main issues for the math parts of these two tests are (1) do they understand the concepts, and (2) the more math they have had the better they do.

TOS: If a child successfully completes all four texts, what course do you suggest that he begin with in college?

Dr. Callahan: Colleges differ on this. If the student is heading to college, then he should seek the counsel of the department in which he plans to study. Almost always, colleges use math placement exams. These quick tests allow the college to determine which math course your student should start with. Then they match that against the desired degree and accordingly determine the requirement. So if you are an English major and test into calculus, and calculus is not required for the degree, then you likely will have met your math requirement. If you test into algebra, you might have to take one or two college math courses.

This is another good reason to go as high as you can in high school math and understand the concepts. Extra math courses in college cost money. Here is a hint few people know about: the math placement exams are written by the same people who write the ACT, so being prepared for the ACT is good practice for the placement exam. Usually you can take the placement tests as many times as you like.

TOS: Many parents who have always homeschooled have a genuine fear when approaching the high school years, and mathematics is a big reason for that fear. How can your program help alleviate their fears?

Dr. Callahan: We do it all. We provide the teaching, tests, and even a simple test-grading guide for the parents. Then, if there are any questions, we provide 100% support. While some parents get involved and do the courses with their kids, most have their kids doing them completely with us.

TOS: Thank you so much, Dr. Callahan, for taking the time to develop your curriculum and making home education at the high school level possible.

Dale and Lea Callahan developed the courses offered through AskDrCallahan (www.askdrcallahan.com). Dale holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and is a licensed professional engineer. He is a faculty member in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Lea holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and is also a licensed professional engineer. Dale and Lea have homeschooled two daughters from sixth to twelfth grade.

Karen Braun is a Christian, wife, and homeschooling mother to six children. She is engaged in the full-time art of managing her home and educating her children. Karen also enjoys speaking and writing on behalf of homeschooling and is a strong advocate for the Christian family. Her popular blog, SpunkyHomeschool, blends all of those interests.