If you know me at all you know I don't like math. I had to take College Algebra twice to get credit!! My first ever C was in Geometry. (Yes, I am a nerd and that was my first and last C in high school!!!) But what you don't know is that when I was 6 I was a regular Stephen Hawking. No, really. One time my teacher had a 5th grader come in who was the best at math in her class to do board races with me. She gave us a line of about 10 single digit numbers and said go. Chalk dust flew and I was done, with the correct answer, before she was even half way through her problem. Yes, yes, please no phone calls of excited praise. I know I was a regular little math prodigy. I slowed down with multiplication and then division came along. By the time square roots were introduced I was done.
Well when Sissy was in first grade she did pretty well with math. The problem is that I just realized that although the schools today are a bit more advanced on reading they are really behind in math. Sissy just finished second grade and the math skills that she is supposed to be learning are things I specifically remember from first grade. (Plus, I remember learning cursive in 2nd grade and they didn't start that this year!!! What is up with that?) The other problem is that her grades in math were a little low this year so we are trying to catch her up a bit this summer. I got her second grade workbooks to review.
Ok, this should be fun, right? Tonight we started on one. There was a page of single digit addition and subtraction. Problems like 3+5 and 9-7, etc... Sissy turns to me and says, "I can't do this, Mom!" I ask her didn't she learn addition and subtraction already!?!?!? "But I don't have a hundred chart!"
WHAT!?!?!?!
Really? My kid has not learned addition and subtraction without using a chart? She tells me that her teacher says that using her fingers is not good since you only have 10. Ok, I see the point there, sort of. But, is she expected to always have a hundred chart of hand to count forward and back? Give me a break.
Then I remember what made adding so easy for me. I search online for a special number chart. I have no idea what it's called, but I know that in my head I still use it today. It made math so easy for me. BUT, what in tarnation was that dadgummed thing called? Well, having no luck I get a marker and paper and make my own for her. It's pretty rough, but she will get the point. I set out to give a little math lesson. Once she sees it she says, "Oh, touch math!" Touch math? Ohhhh...... Now that I have a name I can find it online. It goes something like this:
So, here are touch numbers. If you are not familiar with the concept you touch where the dots are as you count and touch twice where there is a dot with a circle around it. So if you have 4+2 you would start with "4" then touch your two and count, "5, 6" and there you have our answer. Make sense? It's a little hard to explain in writing here, but I think you all get it.
I definitely learned something about my kid. She was not paying a lot of attention in math if she totally forgot this part. I am glad she did learn it though and I am going to make sure she works on it all summer. The other thing I learned, or rather remembered, is that when you are a kid even easy math can be overwhelming and we have to take it one step at a time.
