Learning Mathematics is like building a skyscraper. It all builds on one another. Just like you wouldn't want to build on the fourth floor if the third floor isn't stable and able to support that fourth floor, so you don't want to move on with Mathematics unless the foundation is there.

When I tutor mathematics, I'm always looking for where the student "lost it." That foundation has to be build. Trying to tutor a student without finishing that foundation is a waste of time for the student and really a waste of money for the parent paying for the student. Even if the student were to pass the course with a "C," they wouldn't make it in the next course.

The best way to deal with it is to do it right. Thoroughly learn the foundations and then move up from there. This is the fastest way of learning Mathematics. It really is the shortest and fastest way to learning Math. If you try to shortcut the shortcut, it really ends up being the longer way.

The good news is that once a student has struggled with Math for a while, because they haven't mastered the foundations yet, they have still learned a lot of math without knowing it and it will be fairly simple to build a strong foundation.