The Why
Simon, who is 11, isn't doing particularly well in math. The other night, we sat at the kitchen table to work on the multiplying and subtracting of mixed numerals, and what I discovered upon looking closely at his test was that Simon actually does understand fractions, for the most part. So when I say he's not doing well in math, this means, actually, that Simon is not slowing down enough to do well in math. The theories he's got down, for the most part. The motivation to do well, he does not. We reviewed the concepts, and then I stressed the importance of taking the time needed to do a good job. We talked about why grades are important, as faulty a system as that may be, and why he needs to try to get those grades up. And then I brought up diabetes. Diabetes is the elephant in every room, even though the type 1 diabetic himself was elsewhere in the house. A calculator there, test strip here, vials in the frig. With diabetes, I told Simon, we do much the same kinds of math...
And does this mean that the cockroaches are now on holiday in a strange, faraway part of the house?
ReplyDeleteIs it even worse: have the cockroaches developed supercockroach strength (gaining tips from your own weightlifting work, of course) and pushed the lid off?
Hoping for good news.
It means that (a) trying to instill a sense of responsibility in your 6-year-old son does not ensure that the job will be done right, and (b) the cockroaches are so oft ignored--except when being photographed--they never thought to escape. Both are hiding happily together in their paper towel roll.
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