John Saxon (educator) facts for kids
John Harold Saxon Jr. (born December 10, 1923 – died October 17, 1996) was an American mathematics educator. He wrote or helped write many textbooks. These books used a special teaching style called "Saxon math". This method teaches new ideas step-by-step and reviews old ones often.
Contents
Who Was John Saxon?
John Harold Saxon Jr. was a smart and dedicated man who believed in a different way to teach math. He created a popular series of math textbooks. These books are still used by many students today.
Early Life and Military Career
John Saxon was born in Georgia, USA. He finished high school in Athens, Georgia in 1941. He then went to the University of Georgia.
He later studied at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned a degree in engineering in 1949. In 1961, he received his master's degree in electrical engineering.
A Pilot in Two Wars
John Saxon became an officer in the United States Army Air Forces. He flew a B-17 Flying Fortress plane during World War II. Later, he joined the United States Air Force. He flew 55 missions in a B-26 Invader during the Korean War. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1953, he survived a plane crash when an engine failed during takeoff. That same year, he earned another degree in aeronautical engineering. He also taught engineering at the United States Air Force Academy for five years.
After leaving the Air Force in the 1970s, he moved to Norman, Oklahoma. He taught algebra part-time at Rose State College.
Developing a New Way to Learn Math
During the 1980s and 1990s, John Saxon felt that math education needed to change. He believed some new teaching ideas would not help students learn math and science well. So, he decided to create his own textbooks.
What is Saxon Math?
He wrote or co-wrote nine math textbooks. These books were for students from kindergarten all the way through high school. His teaching method became known as "Saxon math". He even included some harder vocabulary words in his math problems. He did this to help students get ready for tests like the SAT.
How the Method Works
The main idea behind Saxon math is "incremental development and continuous review."
- Incremental development means breaking down big math ideas into smaller, easier steps. Students learn these small steps over time.
- Continuous review means practicing what you've learned again and again. After learning a new concept, students would also review older topics in their homework. This helped them remember everything.
Some educators had different ideas. They thought his lessons had too many drills and took too much time. They also felt his method did not encourage teamwork or creative problem-solving.
Starting a Publishing Company
John Saxon wanted to publish his high school algebra book. But he could not find a publisher who would take it. So, he decided to start his own company.
From Idea to Textbooks
He used his own house as a guarantee to get money for his company. He first named it Grassdale Publishers. This was after his grandmother's farm. Later, he changed the name to Saxon Publishers. His first textbook came out in 1981. It had a bright blue cover with orange letters that said "Algebra."
A famous writer, William F. Buckley, helped make Saxon's books well-known. Buckley wrote about Saxon's success in a magazine called National Review in 1981. He called it "Supply-side Algebra."
After his first book, Saxon published more. These included Algebra 1 1/2, Algebra 1/2, and Geometry, Trigonometry and Algebra 3. He later renamed Algebra 1 1/2 to Algebra 2. He called it Algebra 1 1/2 because it reviewed many topics from Algebra 1. He also worked with Frank Wang to write his Calculus with Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry textbook. Frank Wang was a student at MIT at the time.
The Company Grows and Changes
As John Saxon wrote more books, he also found other authors. They wrote books for younger students, from kindergarten to eighth grade. These included books like Math 54 and Math K. The company also produced books for phonics, spelling, and physics.
Frank Wang, who helped with the calculus book, later became the company's president in 1994. He helped run the company day-to-day.
John Saxon passed away on October 17, 1996. His four children owned the company he started. In 2001, the company celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Frank Wang left the company in early 2003. In 2004, Saxon Publishers was sold to Reed Elsevier. Today, it is owned by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Saxon Math Today
Saxon math textbooks are very popular with families who teach their children at home (homeschoolers). Many private schools also use them. Some public schools use them too, especially those that like a "back to basics" way of teaching math.
Honoring His Legacy
John Saxon's son, Dr. John H. Saxon III, created a special program in 2009. It is called the John H. Saxon Service Academy Summer Research Program. This program helps students from U.S. military academies. They get to work with scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation during the summer. This honors his father's military career and helps students learn about science and medicine.
See Also
- Jaime Escalante - a teacher whose methods helped students do very well in math
- Mathematics education
