SOME DAYS.

Some days I miss Mark. I want to tell him I have just successfully taught Cass how to do long division though I still can't do it myself! I don't think I get why anyone would 'solve for the unknown.' That's why it's unknown. Isn't it? It wasn't easy. It's mad, me teaching math. I kept sending Cass back to the dvd, which made no sense to her either, poor bunny. Hours later, & no wiser, I caved in, sat on the arm of her chair & said, ''Look, I can't do this...'(duh! Like she didn't already know that!) but you need to try & guess the first bit.' It was like watching all the lights go on. 'Oh, you mean I have to solve for the unknown,' said Cass, & proceeded to do so! We stared at her sum with some trepidation. What to do with the leftover bits? Now when they taught me at school (& so obviously did a wonderful & thorough job) we had a whole screed of numbers underneath the origonal sum that confused me terribly. I am a visual learner. I put the leftover number where it made most sense to me. Cass 'solved for the unknown' again & we consulted the guide for how to put down our remainder. One sum down, a whole page still to go. Cass was all done in 20 minutes! Mark would so have appreciated this little story. He always expressed such grave doubts about my ability to teach math. Plus he had his own problems with his son, who was in public school & failing math. Now Cass has 'got it' I can stop worrying because once she's grasped something she remembers. Two pages later she took her first test & knowing her that is probably all she will do from here on in, the tests. So long as she tests above 90% that's fine with me.