We are pleased to share some of our customer's unsolicited comments and stories...
This will be our first year homeschooling and after researching for days, I finally feel like I have a system that will teach my kids the way they deserve to be taught! Thank you so much!
Lindsay Maloney
Hi Larry, l wanted to take a minute to give you our personal experience with ShillerLearning. I started using ShillerLearning 2.5 years ago when I met Antoinette at the HEAV conference in Virginia.
My son was 9 and was struggling mightily in math. He has some special needs and math is particularly hard for him.
I bought all 3 kits and started with him from the beginning. He quickly breezed through the first 3 books and I was able to identify his math weaknesses easily.
He is now 12 years old and doing great in math. He often tells people it is his favorite subject. He is almost done with Book 5 and is working through Fractions as well. He is excited to finish these books as well as Book 6 this spring so he can start Algebra in the fall. He has set this as his goal. I am now using ShillerLearning with all of my children and they all love math. Thank you!!
Shelly Whisenant
My brother and I love your math! Thank you for making math so much fun. My mommy always says she wishes you made language arts and so do I. Thank you for making my brother and I very happy. Your math is the BEST!
Cooper (9 Years Old)
Shiller has been an amazing addition to our homeschooling life! After working with other programmes with no success (and a LOT of tears and frustration) we found Shiller, what a transformation!
For my eldest son it has been a release from the feeling of inadequacy that surrounded our maths work, now he knows he is good at maths. The materials are so instinctive he's been able to use them before I've read the instructions!
He was doing division of 4 digit numbers a heartbeat after being introduced to the concept, something I'd never considered possible. l've been amazed at the shift in his confidence and enthusiasm around maths, it's no longer something to be dreaded.
For my youngest son it's given us the opportunity to introduce maths concepts at a higher level, without reliance on writing. At 6 he's working on the second book and easily understanding the decimal system up into the thousands. I'm not having to hold him back according to his writing skills, instead we are working on conceptual understanding and developing a great foundation in maths work. It's also really fun for him!
He loves the little songs and games that liven up the lessons and punctuate our learning, the pace allows him to learn deeply but also enjoy it : )
We are about to embark upon Kit 2 with my eldest son having reviewed grade 3 with Kit 1. I'm so looking forward to introducing subjects like geometry the Shiller way, I know it'll be a totally different experience for him.
The use of concrete materials has allowed us to focus on his maths understanding, not on his ability to write.The multi sensory nature of the curriculum has been crucial in repairing the gaps in his understanding (and self esteem) left by other curriculums.
l've been so relieved to no longer dread maths, instead it is lively and interesting for me too! I'm also really happy that the scope and sequence is so easily recognizable as those key areas touched on by other curriculums, it is academic but also unique in the way it approaches learning in such a hands on way.
Shiller has opened up a whole new way of learning to us; hands on, multi sensory maths that it equally successful for a child with learning challenges or for a child who is advancing more quickly.
I've really appreciated being able to use the same kit with multiple children, it's saved me time, stress and money! Lastly the customer support has been second to none, it's been wonderful to have a knowledgable and supportive person on the end of the phone to discuss issues with, I can think of no other curriculum that offers anything like it.
For anyone considering the shift over to Shiller I say go for it, you won't regret it : )
Emma Jones
I have received my Kit and it is fantastic. I am still going over the material to see where to start with my child, who is 7, and I see there are some things he is already familiar with. He is very excited about it too, and ready to start right away though. Thanks for this great program.
Maria Meadows
My daughter LOVES the program. She asks me if we can do math, which to me is so exciting. I think I'm even more excited about the program for how much it will actually help ME with MY math skills. I always hated math in school, and never learned the proper way to work with math in my head.
I was terrified to be responsible for teaching my daughter math. Honestly so was my husband and my father too!! I bet I was literally shaking with fear as I was opening the ShillerLearning box.
The more things I pulled out of it, the more excited I became. As we sat down and started going over the first few lessons, I realized....Hey, maybe this will be good for ME too!!!
In the first day of learning my four year old wiggle-worm did ShillerLearning for three hours without even leaving the table!! She was mad that we had to stop for dinner!
We were both thrilled with the program and how much FUN it is. Thank you so much Mr. Shiller for the great program, and for not only instilling a love for math in my daughter, but also making me look at it in a new and different light.
I was just re-reading my message thinking it sounded like a commercial!!
I didn't mean for it to sound corny, but everything I said is true and ShillerLearning has really earned a special place in my heart.
My daughter is so proud of herself too, and loves to show off for people with her math skills. Oh, I have a photo loaded in of her that first day when she didn't want to leave the table. I never smiled like this over math when I was little!! This is Avery the math lover!Thanks.
Christy Flanagan
We have just finished up Book 3 from Kit I. My daughter wouldn't hear of not continuing our math with Mr. Shiller.
Keli Driver
I did ping the local conventional and one international Montessori homeschooling newsgroup about ShillerLearning... those that have used ShillerLearning think it is a "God Send!" (direct quote). Thank you, thank you, thank you for creating this.
Monica J. Gandara
We are just beginning with Shiller. I have to say that I am loving it! Starting in book 4 for review. Lessons are quick and fun! My daughter isn't complaining about math and doing most of it orally makes her happy.
I know that it will get more challenging but the method of teaching is great. There's no math that teaches Montessori methods for older kids that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Loving ShillerLearning and definitely getting Kit 1 for my younger kiddos. Jacqueline Forrer With ShillerLearning my kids actually enjoy doing their math "work"!
When we decided to begin homeschooling several months ago, the thought of teaching the kids math was terrifying- I was never good at math in school, but I knew I had to find a way to give my kids the good math foundation that I never had.
Researching the different types of math teaching quickly convinced me that I wanted to use the Montessori method (numerous studies have shown that kids who have a solid Montessori math foundation do better in math than their peers),
so I spent hundreds of dollars on Montessori math materials...and then realized that using the materials was really complicated, and often frustrating, because I'm not a certified Montessori teacher.
After weeks of driving myself crazy trying to learn Montessori in my spare time, I saw that a friend had "liked" the ShillerLearning Facebook page. Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link and began reading the website - my heart sang when I read that it was based on the Montessori Method, and then I started singing when I read 'izero lesson preparation"! What?!
No more hours watching online videos on how to "present" the Montessori materials to my kids?! Just read what's in quotes?!YES! I could do this! So, of course, I searched for reviews, and found nothing but great feedback from other moms who were using ShillerLearning, and decided to give it a try.
In the interest of being completely honest here, I really didn't believe that it could possibly be as easy as it seemed, but I knew it couldn't be as complicated as trying to cram into weeks what Montessori teachers spend years learning.! But, when our kits arrived, I'm happy to say that I quickly learned that it really is that simple - just read what's in quotes. The best part? My kids not only enjoy math, they ASK to do math!
Pam Collins
Mr. Shiller, We are so impressed and blessed by your kits. We are currently using them for two of our children who were recently diagnosed with learning challenges and they are SOARING. Before their diagnoses, we used a wonderful program that our other two children use sucessfully, but it caused tears of frustration and angst. It is so wonderful that the sadness now comes from having to STOP doing math! THANK YOU for your work!
CD Forrester
My 7-year old son thrives on ShillerLearning, he loves the ability to explore and learn topics that challenge him using a hands on approach. Using Shiller, he is able to learn and grasp topics that other math programs don't even touch upon until middle school.
The use of manipulatives and spiral learning keeps my son interested and challenged vs. other programs such as Horizon and Singapore which have similar work day in and day out and mostly are just workbook driven with optional use of manipulatives.
We have tried just about every math program and none held my sons interest or challenged him like this math program. He currently attends a STEM academy twice a week for gifted students in math and science and I can attribute part of his acceptance into the program to our use of Shiller.
Amy Rodenburg
I just received my Shiller Math and everything was just wonderful!! I am teaching my three grandchildren and am very excited about their response to their Shiller Math. Even though it has only been a couple of weeks the results have been amazing and the children come in the morning begging to do Math first. Their skills have risen to a higher level very quickly. Thank you so much for making the re-conditioned kits available thus making it affordable for us. Thank You again.
Elizabeth Johnson
Until this year, my son and I were using another math program which I won't name. To complete a lesson took one and a half hours. It was torture to us both. My son, who is very creative and mathematical, hated doing math.
Since I have switched to ShillerLearning, his creative mathematical side has come to life. From the first time I popped in the music CD he decided to start figuring out stuff on his own.
He somehow figured out the basic principle of multiplication and division before we even got to that part. In fact, in some ways, he is always one step ahead of the program because the way he is learning gets him to think of how he can apply what he knows to other math functions. He rarely did this type of thinking with the other program.
The other program did, however, do a lot of drill. In fact, it drilled us to death. With ShillerLearning, I was worried he wasn't getting enough drill in his math facts. The other day, I decided to pull out the old flashcards to find out if he was behind. To my amazement, he aced them all in record time! Thank you.
Kelly Cayor
Dear Mr. Shiller, I really like your program. It's so much fun that I feel like I want to do it everyday! I really like the rows and columns song. Shiller Math is my FAVORITE math program!
Lliana (Age 5)
This is our third year of ShillerLearning! After a previous experience with math in a school setting, I never expected math to be my daughter's favorite subject or to be a source of confidence for her. Now when people ask her what her favorite subject is she tells them it is math!
She also FEELS good at math now and ends her lessons feeling successful instead of frustrated. Lately I have been impressed with her ability to solve problems mentally based on place value instead of the way I learned math.
At first I felt that ShillerLearning did not provide enough math fact drill. I was concerned about this because my daughter had difficulty with math facts when she was in school. She was timed and drilled on math facts in the school setting three years ago and developed "math fact" anxiety.
That first year of homeschooling with ShillerLearning I felt that she would never learn her facts. Last year she finally learned all of her math facts without the timed drilling and worksheets.
This year she ASKS for me to print her out at least one multiplication chart a day for her to complete- for fun! What's more is that she gets all the math facts correct AND completes them in record time!
Lauren Windle Townsend
My kids love to "do math." Our math allergy has disappeared! We can go at our own pace and enjoy the game-like activities and the silly songs that are building confidence in my daughter (and me) that math isn't so tough after all!
Note: Please see complete review at choosyhomeschooler.com.
Choosy Homeschooler (Cobb.curtis)
We finally have a math program for our large homeschool family that WORKS and is ENJOYABLE! Thank you! Math has always been the weak spot in our family, despite employing a Montessori method of homeschooling.
All these years of homeschooling and we have tried so many different programs that never worked. Now we have a plan! We have used Kit I and Kit Il for different groups of our children for the past two school years.
The results were fabulous. I did take my oldest two back through the beginning of Kit l, due to some "missing" concepts in their understanding.
They found that a bit discouraging at first but quickly found it fun (we very quickly progressed through the first Kit). The value is EXCEPTIONAL! We are so pleased with this program and the effect that it had on our family.
All of my children love math now! My only [regret] is the delay in starting with the older children. The younger ones have a much richer grasp of math as they have always used this method.
Tiffany Appell
I just wanted to let you know how much my daughter (5) and my son (2) love their "ShillerLearning time." It is SO home-schooling-family friendly. We all enjoy the CD and listen to it all the time in the car and at home. Thank you for taking the time to make such a valuable product for moms like me! Since I am not only a mother, but also an education major finishing a degree in PK-3 traditional studies and mild intervention, I can say with some authority this program is just right for young minds!
Rachel Long
Ya'll remember that a few months back we switched to ShillerLearning from Math U See. Well, we just love it and one day last week we were supposed to begin math promptly after our reading and history time.
When we were to begin math, I told my sons that they would have to wait for just a little while because I needed to get something done before we began.
My oldest works on his own, and so I was happy but not surprised, to see him pull out his ShillerLearning book
because he WANTED to do math right THEN.:)
I WAS suprised to see my youngest who used to hate math, say "can I go ahead and start Mommy - pleeeaase?" My answer was he could do whatever he was comfortable with without my help. Do you know he worked through some difficult thinking all by himself and did a beautiful job on his assignments!
Since beginning ShillerLearning this year, both the boys have learned to think through math problems rather than memorizing formulas, putting them in short term memory and forgetting after the test is over. You just have to love it!!!!
Blog on homeschooler.com
We love ShillerLearning!! My first grader even asks for his ShillerLearning schoolwork on off-days!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE:) ShillerLearning "rocks!!!" as my kids would say! :)
Marylrene Ventura
I wanted to tell you thank you for being patient with me as I get use to ShillerLearning. I had compared it to Mastery Math and thought that I was getting a math program exactly like that but with a more professional layout.
Well, I am happy to tell you that I see now that I got ALOT more than that with ShillerLearning!!!
Antonette answered all of my questions and
understood my concerns and calmed my fears.
She did a great job. But, I have to tell you that the real test was actually DOING the program. I sat down with my daughter and started the program. WE had alot of fun. She actually asked me yesterday if we could do math!!!
Did I mention that yesterday was Sunday?!!! What is hard for people like me is that we are set in our way of thinking how math should be taught and Shiller is so far from that idea in a good way.
I just want to express my appreciation to you once again for this program.
Yvonne Rice
We absolutely LOVE ShillerLearning and have recommended it to several friends. We are homeschooling our children despite the fact that my husband works full time (he's an MIT grad like you) and I work part time.
Given our time constraints, I love that ShillerLearning has the workbooks, all of the manipulatives and "zero prep" due to how well the workbooks are written. My kids ask me to "play math" with them all the time! What a wonderful way to learn. Thank you for putting together such a great program.
JS
ShillerLearning divides the math activities up a bit differently than many curriculums. Books for grades 4-6 contain expected activities, but do not include fractions. The fraction book is separate.
Their philosophy is that fractions are so unique that it is best to be approached individually. It made sense to me in a way, but seeing is believing - —right?
Benjamin never went through the Shiller Fraction book because he did
fractions in Math-U-See and had already covered them before when we switched to Shiller.
John just finished his 4th grade math book and is now ZOOMING through the fraction book. He begs me to do more each day. (A mommy's DREAM :) I've been the one having to stop his work after he goes through a huge amount of activities. I am so thankful it is FUN for him.
I LOVE the way Shiller explains fractions. The way they make use of the manipulatives in the fraction book is better than any other fraction program I have seen.
Another blog on homeschooler.com
We have just started using ShillerLearning, which is a montessori based math program for ages 4 to 12. My three children LOVE it. It is the 7th math program we have used in our homeschooling adventure and by far the best. I wish we would have found this one first!
Kim G., Houston, TX
My daughter is 2nd grade, too and was struggling with the most basic concepts and hated math (we were using Math-U-See). So after a lot of research, we went with ShillerLearning.
We both love it and she now asks to do more and more! Instead of the 2 lessons that I plan for a day, we end
up doing 10 because she gets it and wants more. She is also dyslexic and right brained, so she wants more than just stuff to memorize, she wants to understand why things are the way they are. We started right at the beginning to make sure we didn't miss anything.
HIGHLY recommend it!! Heather Hiner WJ loves Shiller Math. Thank you Shiller Math for creating a product that makes learning math fun and easy!
http://momteachmetoread.com//aog/oz/z$/shiller-math-teaching-math-to-a-preschooler/
Cassie
Thank you so much for adding the whole book downloads to ShillerLearning! We have been using Shiller for about 3 1/2 years and LOVE the program. Mom is even getting better at math. It is such a time saver to download the whole book and be done! ShillerLearning is truly the best program out there and now it is the easiest too.
Jill Perrin
Unpacking the boxes with my daughter was like opening a big present. Once we had gone through the checklists of what was to have been contained in the shipment, I told my daughter that we were done
with math for the day and she could go off and do whatever else she wanted.
She immediately said "No mom, let's start now! I want to do some math!" This from a child who audibly groaned, slumped her shoulders and assumed an attitude of absolute misery every time I mentioned math in the past.
Our math "lesson" continued for a full hour as we sailed through the initial lessons with lots of smiles and laughter. Mr. Shiller, thanks so much for a wonderful product.
Rachel Dubois
I have been using ShillerLearning with my son for 2 years now, Kindergarten and First Grade. We homeschool, so ShillerLearning is his only math curriculum.
We finished about 1/2 of the third book by the end of First Grade.
with math for the day and she could go off and do whatever else she wanted.
She immediately said "No mom, let's start now! I want to do some math!" This from a child who audibly groaned, slumped her shoulders and assumed an attitude of absolute misery every time I mentioned math in the past.
Our math "lesson" continued for a full hour as we sailed through the initial lessons with lots of smiles and laughter. Mr. Shiller, thanks so much for a wonderful product.
Mary M., Oakton, VA
We are currently using ShillerLearning and really enjoying it. My 7 and 4 year olds are moving right along and my daughter is almost 2 and already counts to 12, recognizes most of the numbers, and sings the songs with us. My husband and I think it's cute and can't believe the number of times people say she's smart for her age. The program fits our family well. Thank you!
Rebecca Roberts
I'm happy to report that things are going great since we switched our math curriculum to ShillerLearning. Bryan has struggled with math up until this time, but now it seems to be one of his favorite subjects.
I can 't believe the change! He loves all the various activities & even enjoys taking the diagnostic tests.
I especially like how the activities associated with each specific question on the tests are identified. It is so easy to just go directly to those activities to reinforce the concepts.
I did initially have one question about the manipulatives. When I emailed for clarification, a response was practically immediate.
What great customer support! Thanks for the personal follow-up - just one more reason we love ShillerLearning!
Vicki Kapryan
Who would have thought Math would be so FUN! It's great! Not only is it fun they are learning! Thank you.
Tracy Hoggard
We bought kit I in Orlando from you in May and just started it this morning with my 8 year old daughter. She zoomed through the first 12 lessons, took her test, and all was great. I went to pack up and she said "1 wish we could still do more. Can we do more tonight when my sisters go to sleep?" I thought you'd love that! I will be going onto your site soon to purchase the second kit. Thank you for developing such a great program that is so much fun. We laughed a lot and had a great time. (At her age, she just thought it was sooooo funny when I would read what the "teacher" is supposed to say.)
Julie Chin
I find your math notes fresh, informative, and very helpful. We use them in class applications, share them with parents and others, and use them in other appropriate ways. Thank you for new ways to look at things, and for your willingness to share. Note from ShillerLearning: Carol is referring to our blog, which customers receive.
Carol McMillan
Thanks for producing such a great product. I can hardly wait to start with my son (but he's not even quite 3 so we have a bit of time yet to start that). He can sing many of the songs on the CD though. Thanks for helping to make homeschooling such a great experience for us.
Linda Jope
I was upstairs changing the baby when I heard the Shiller CD come on. My boys, 3 and 4 were there decked out in tin foil hats, underwear, and capes singing to the "We're two aliens from outer space" track. Upon closer look, my eldest had written even on his chest and odd on my other's chest. What fun!
Sara Hodston
We are really enjoying ShillerLearning. I had just told a friend about it who was new to homeschooling, and she said she was already using it! She also said how much her son was enjoying it. My 4 year old can't wait to do his lessons. It would be wonderful if you came out with a program for the older grades--your product is so much fun to use. Sincerely,
Janet Ocheski
NOTE FROM SHILLERLEARNING: THE
9-12 YEAR OLD VERSION IS NOW AVAILABLE
My four year old son loves it! My three year old daughter watches and cries (yes, cries!) if I won't do the activities with her next. She begs to listen to the CD, which I must admit has some pretty catchy tunes. I can't get over all the things they will learn by the time they are through. I've been telling anyone who will listen about it. Thanks again for all your help.
Leigh Williams
I had spent weeks trying to get my daughter to understand the values of different coins to no avail. I kept using pennies to make up 5 to show her a nickel etc. etc. Unfortunately, I was using abstract to explain abstract and she just didn't grasp the idea. We used your program and the very first lesson that she was shown the unit value of each coin she had it and hasn't looked back. It was so simple and yet it had never occurred to me. Thanks very much!
Kristen Herzberg
We are loving ShillerLearning. It is my daughter's favorite subject!
Mollie Guy
I spent several years in public education and more time researching homeschooling products for my own children. Your program, by far, is the most clear, most comprehensive, most attractive, most customer-friendly and most fun program I have ever seen. I would gladly show the activity books and manipulatives to any one of my homeschooling friends who need a math program. We have a lot of great plans for our chldren and we're thrilled that ShillerLearning is going to be a big part of it.
Kathy Grubb
I would love to see as many families/schools as possible using this program. I can't believe how much my daughter LOVES math. I think the way you introduce complex concepts in simple, clear, incremental ways is brilliant.
Tara Gibbs
My kids love it! Both of my kids have asked to do math even when it wasn't scheduled for us to do math. Thanks!
Stacy Reimold
I just wanted to let you know that in 11 yrs. of homeschooling I have found few products as satisfactory as this. Thanks.
Melanie Jacobs
We have loved your program and continue to do so. It works its magic even if you don't follow all the best practices.
Anna Moberly
Our children now clamor for math time where once was the sounds of moans. Julianne age 7, has benefited the most using your multisensory learning style. She once hated math and ended up in tears a lot of the time. Now she is alert, involved and she is truly understanding abstract math principles. I love the change it has made in her hunger to learn. Words are not enough to express our gratitude, she is a much happier child now.
Vivan Isola
We often tell other "Learning AT Horne" friends how well the ShillerLearning is working for us. We have 2 children working with it this year and they both enjoy it, even with their different learning styles. Thanks.
Patty Garver