Art Reed is a well‐known figure in the homeschool and Saxon math community, particularly as a guide and “translator” of the Saxon methodology for parents and students. Mr. Reed was born in Chicago, IL, in 1936. Over his career, he has accumulated more than a dozen years of classroom experience teaching Saxon math courses from Algebra ½ through Calculus.
In addition to teaching, Reed has become an experienced curriculum advisor and producer of instructional content supporting the Saxon curriculum. Through his website and affiliated ventures, notably TeachingSaxon.com, he offers guidance, tutorials, and newsletters aimed especially at homeschoolers using the Saxon textbooks.
One of his more popular contributions is the video (or DVD/streaming) series called Mastering Algebra: “John Saxon’s Way”. In this series, Reed walks students step- by-step through lessons in Saxon texts (from Math 76 up through Advanced Math). The lessons typically last 7–8 minutes and are intended to complement (not replace) the Saxon textbooks, helping students understand the concepts and guiding them through examples. Reed also offers to provide help by email to students or homeschooling parents struggling with particular concepts.
Another key written work from Reed is Using John Saxon’s Math Books, in which he explains how to get the most out of the Saxon curriculum, addresses common pitfalls, and defends Saxon’s philosophy. In that book, he emphasizes the importance of not skipping lessons or problems, and he describes how the cumulative nature of Saxon depends on regular repetition (“automaticity”). Reed sometimes argues that DVD or video instruction should play a supporting role rather than being the primary teaching means, stressing that a student or teacher should engage deeply with the textbook itself.
Among homeschoolers and Saxon users, Reed has a reputation as being concise, respectful of the student’s time, and aligned with the original Saxon philosophy. In forums and parent groups, some prefer his video instruction to the “official” Saxon teacher editions for its clarity, while others use both in tandem.
In sum, Art Reed functions as a bridge: He is both a practitioner (having taught in classrooms) and a translator / coach for users of the Saxon method, especially in home or independent settings.
The Saxon Math Method: Philosophy, Strengths, and Criticism
To understand Reed’s role, it helps to have a clear picture of Saxon math itself. The Saxon method was developed by John Harold Saxon Jr. (1923–1996), an engineer and educator who, dissatisfied with mainstream math instruction, created textbooks that emphasize incremental learning plus continual review.
Core Principles
- Incremental introduction of new topics
Instead of presenting large new chunks of mathematics at once, Saxon breaks complex ideas into small pieces. Each day’s lesson introduces a tiny step forward, which is then practiced. - Constant cumulative review
After the new material, the student does problems not only from the current lesson, but also from prior lessons. This ensures that earlier concepts remain fresh and integrated. - Repetition to build fluency (“automaticity”)
The goal is that students eventually perform standard operations without hesitation — essentially, making basic skills automatic so they are available for higher reasoning tasks. Reed frequently emphasizes this point in Using John Saxon’s Math Books. - Frequent assessments and tests
Because material is cumulative, tests cover both recent lessons and review material. This reinforces retention and discourages skipping earlier sections. - Structured progression through levels
Saxon offers a series of texts from elementary through high school, each building carefully on the last. For example, Math 54, 65, 76, 87, Algebra ½, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Advanced Mathematics, and eventually (in some systems) calculus.
Because of this design, Saxon has gained popularity in homeschool circles and some more traditional schools, particularly among parents or educators who prefer a more structured, drill-oriented approach compared to “reform” or discovery-based methods.
Strengths
- Retention over time: The continual review helps reduce “forgetting” of earlier concepts, which is a common stumbling block in mathematics progression.
- Logical scaffolding: The incremental approach helps prevent cognitive overload by not introducing too much new material at once.
- Predictability and consistency: Students and parents know what to expect each day (a mix of new and review problems).
- Self-paced structure: Many homeschoolers find it easier to manage independently, especially with external supports, like Reed’s videos.
- Focus on mastery: Emphasis is placed on completing all problems and not skipping difficulty, which may discourage superficial shortcuts.
How Reed Interprets and Implements Saxon
Art Reed tends to be a strong defender of the more disciplined aspects of the Saxon method. In Using John Saxon’s Math Books, he insists that students should not skip any part: no lessons, no problems, no review assignments. He argues that skipping undermines the cumulative structure.
He provides his own video supplements (“Mastering Algebra” series) that aim to complement the textbook, by giving a human voice to explanations, walking through examples, and clarifying tricky points. Reed’s video content is structured to follow, not override, the natural flow of the Saxon lessons.
In practice, many homeschoolers use Reed’s videos alongside their Saxon books: They watch the video before working the problems for that lesson. Some use both the Reed videos and the official Saxon “teacher” editions (or solution guides) as complementary tools.
Reed also serves as an adviser: Through newsletters, websites, and direct email, he helps parents navigate edition differences, placement decisions, calculator usage, and how to help struggling students.
Reed, Saxon, and the Learner
To summarize:
- Art Reed is not the originator of Saxon math, but rather one of its more visible interpreters and guides — especially for the homeschooling community. His background includes classroom teaching with Saxon texts, and now he functions as an instructor, mentor, and content creator in that space.
- The Saxon math method is characterized by incremental introduction of new material, continuous cumulative review, repetition to build fluency, and frequent assessments. While praised by many for its rigor, structure, and support for retention, it is sometimes critiqued for leaning toward rote learning or being less flexible or exploratory.
- Reed’s approach is to preserve the integrity of the Saxon philosophy while providing scaffolding: He urges strict adherence to the method (no skipping), encourages deep engagement with the books, but supplements with videos and guidance to make the curriculum more accessible and understandable to students and parents.
For those considering using Saxon math in a homeschool or independent setting, Reed’s contributions are especially helpful; his commentary offers a roadmap through the many editions, helps with “gotchas” around calculators, credit sequencing, and offers moral support when the relentless cumulative nature of Saxon becomes daunting. Meanwhile, one should always weigh whether the disciplined, drill-based Saxon approach fits a student’s learning style, and whether adding richer conceptual or problem-based supplements might be wise.
