Originally Posted by Val
Originally Posted by islandofapples
As to this: " Does the fact that easy stuff overwhelms her point to ADHD?"
No! Focusing on boring stuff is boring. Human beings aren't meant to sit around doing tedious repetitive work for long stretches...If they have to do it, they only do it because there is a really good reason (like, you'll starve if you don't plant the crops or make dinner.)

I don't think you can impose boring work on a child and think that will teach patience and how to deal with boring work.

I couldn't agree more! I think that you teach resentment by forcing children (or adults) to do boring work that has no absolutely no point.


Originally Posted by islandofapples
My DH is upstairs dying of boredom, too, doing problems on MyMathLab. It isn't that it is hard, it is that the problems take forever and if you make one tiny mistake or format the answer incorrectly, the program makes you redo the entire problem all over again using new numbers. It is horrific. But he is sticking to it, because he really wants to be a software engineer.)

He doesn't have to suffer! I re-taught myself calculus last year. I bought Calculus for Dummies plus the workbook and a good textbook and a solutions manual + The Calculus Lifesaver. The Dummies guide is great for teaching the basic stuff, the textbook provided harder problems and solutions, and the Calculus Lifesaver provided LOTS of detailed information. This way, you can write the problems on paper and not have to start all over again because you forgot a bracket or whatever.

Your calculus experience sounds less dreadful, but DH is completing his degree that he started when we were living in another state, so most of his classes are online now. The classes online require MyMathLab. He takes one extra class in person at a local school a semester so we can get his GI bill money. He isn't working right now, either, which is good since I have to work on my business (which I am clearly not doing since I am still on here!!! ;D)