He was in the equivalent of the first grade and the children were learning single
digit subtraction. He came home, all excited and we played questions and answers.
We would take turns giving each other a problem to be answered. Suddenly, he asked,
"Mommy, what is 3 minus 5?"
I didn't hesitate to answer, "Negative 2."
He thought about it for a few seconds and then asked, "What is 2 minus 6?"
"Negative 4."
It never occurred to him that he "can't do that!" I wrote a note to the teacher the
next day and requested that she might answer questions of the 3-5 kind by letting
the children know that those problems have answers, but that generally the answers
are beyond what they needed to know at that time. He did have teachers later on who felt
that special ed students should know how to tell time, and that is enough math.
My son is now 20 and still has no problem accepting negative numbers. He knows what
they mean and how to use them. He never took a math class that used negative
numbers, but his "first grade" teacher did not fear the advanced knowledge which
might have thwarted his math experiences. As a result, he enjoyed math and even
took in problems for his classmates to do.
If we can address our elementary education students' math phobia, the children of
the future will benefit.
Just ramblin' on!
Bev
###############################################################
Beverly R. Broomell Voice: (516)451-4732 or 4270
Professor FAX: (516)451-4796
Mathematics Department
Suffolk County Community College
533 College Road
Selden NY 11784
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/~broomeb/
The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relear
n. -Alvin Toffler
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