Saxon Math: Facts vs. Rumors
Aim . . . fire . . . ready! What's going on here? Why are some home schoolers sniping at the best math program ever made available to home schoolers? Why do some homeschool magazines refuse to accept ads from its publisher, or even mention the program's name?
I'm talking about the famous Saxon Math program, developed by former Air Force officer and high-school math instructor John Saxon. In spite of test after test showing that the use of Saxon Math increases algebra enrollment by up to 400 percent, and that Saxon Math students radically outperform students using other math programs, Mr. Saxon has been fighting an uphill battle to get his program used in the public schools. Opposed by leftist groups such as NOW, on the grounds that his books fail to promote feminism, political correctness, and the New World Order, Saxon was delighted to find out about the homeschooling movement. Surely home schoolers would appreciate his books for what they are -- excellent and witty math teaching devices!
Then came the pie in the face. A few home schoolers took it upon themselves to start circulating letters condemning the Saxon texts as "New Age" and urging others to boycott them.
The original letter writers had a point, though they certainly weren't taking the best way to express it. The original Saxon texts had a light sprinkling of references to demons, poltergeists, and other unpleasant spiritual beings. The reason for this is simple -- John Saxon, not being either a fundamentalist Christian or a New Ager, does not believe in such beings. He thought they were harmless "fairy tale" creatures that he could use to spice up his problems. When confronted with letters and calls from Christians who objected to these terms, he promptly cleaned up his books (see sidebar "Saxon Speaks Out").
You would now expect that everyone would be happy. However, some individuals are still writing and circulating letters urging their fellow Christians to shun Saxon.
What are the letter writers objecting to now?
The occasional use of words such as hoyden and ribald.
References to medieval life. One letter writer, for example, after having read a book about the occult game "Dungeons and Dragons," concluded that any mention of medieval occupations or weaponry anywhere is a sneaky plot to entwine readers in the occult.
Bogeymen. Occasional references to fairies and gnomes. The letter writers have magnified this to make it sound like the Saxon texts are absolutely riddled with adoring references to occult beings.
Naturally I was concerned when I heard about this. So I pulled my Saxon math texts off the shelf and read through every word problem in the current editions. Here is what I discovered:
Saxon is very moralistic. Unlike every other math text on the market, his books use pejorative terms about sins such as cheating, boastful behavior, laziness, and so forth. Students may have to look up the words to find out what Saxon's talking about (that's the whole point, as he's trying to improve their vocabularies), but after they do, they will have a clear sense that this math text at least condemns certain behavior as wrong. If this isn't Christian, take me out and shoot me!
Saxon attempts to spark interest in other school subjects, such as history and chemistry. He does this by frequent allusions to historic, literary, and scientific subjects. An ignorant reader who believes all Greek names, for example, must be those of heathen gods could conceivably get bent out of shape over the constant mention of names he does not recognize. Especially if he isn't willing to take the trouble of consulting the encyclopedia.
The references to fairies, etc. are not only few and far between (some books don't have any), but are inevitably irreverent. No true New Ager would get any comfort from the picture of the fairy queen counting toadstools while arranging seating for the fairy convention. It sounds too much like Saxon doesn't believe in these beings!
By Mary Pride
I'm talking about the famous Saxon Math program, developed by former Air Force officer and high-school math instructor John Saxon. In spite of test after test showing that the use of Saxon Math increases algebra enrollment by up to 400 percent, and that Saxon Math students radically outperform students using other math programs, Mr. Saxon has been fighting an uphill battle to get his program used in the public schools. Opposed by leftist groups such as NOW, on the grounds that his books fail to promote feminism, political correctness, and the New World Order, Saxon was delighted to find out about the homeschooling movement. Surely home schoolers would appreciate his books for what they are -- excellent and witty math teaching devices!
Then came the pie in the face. A few home schoolers took it upon themselves to start circulating letters condemning the Saxon texts as "New Age" and urging others to boycott them.
The original letter writers had a point, though they certainly weren't taking the best way to express it. The original Saxon texts had a light sprinkling of references to demons, poltergeists, and other unpleasant spiritual beings. The reason for this is simple -- John Saxon, not being either a fundamentalist Christian or a New Ager, does not believe in such beings. He thought they were harmless "fairy tale" creatures that he could use to spice up his problems. When confronted with letters and calls from Christians who objected to these terms, he promptly cleaned up his books (see sidebar "Saxon Speaks Out").
You would now expect that everyone would be happy. However, some individuals are still writing and circulating letters urging their fellow Christians to shun Saxon.
What are the letter writers objecting to now?
The occasional use of words such as hoyden and ribald.
References to medieval life. One letter writer, for example, after having read a book about the occult game "Dungeons and Dragons," concluded that any mention of medieval occupations or weaponry anywhere is a sneaky plot to entwine readers in the occult.
Bogeymen. Occasional references to fairies and gnomes. The letter writers have magnified this to make it sound like the Saxon texts are absolutely riddled with adoring references to occult beings.
Naturally I was concerned when I heard about this. So I pulled my Saxon math texts off the shelf and read through every word problem in the current editions. Here is what I discovered:
Saxon is very moralistic. Unlike every other math text on the market, his books use pejorative terms about sins such as cheating, boastful behavior, laziness, and so forth. Students may have to look up the words to find out what Saxon's talking about (that's the whole point, as he's trying to improve their vocabularies), but after they do, they will have a clear sense that this math text at least condemns certain behavior as wrong. If this isn't Christian, take me out and shoot me!
Saxon attempts to spark interest in other school subjects, such as history and chemistry. He does this by frequent allusions to historic, literary, and scientific subjects. An ignorant reader who believes all Greek names, for example, must be those of heathen gods could conceivably get bent out of shape over the constant mention of names he does not recognize. Especially if he isn't willing to take the trouble of consulting the encyclopedia.
The references to fairies, etc. are not only few and far between (some books don't have any), but are inevitably irreverent. No true New Ager would get any comfort from the picture of the fairy queen counting toadstools while arranging seating for the fairy convention. It sounds too much like Saxon doesn't believe in these beings!
By Mary Pride
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