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'APPLE ARITHMETIC-GETTING TO THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM'

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APPLE ARITHMETIC When my son John started Grade Two, he hit a major stumbling block. Arithmetic was a mystery to him. On the back of our Exercise books, and Scribblers, when I was in Grade Two, all the 'goes-in-tas' such as 'two goes-in-ta six-three times', so we could refer to that if we were stuck, but of course we also had to memorize the ‘tables’. We called Arithmetic just that-'The Goes-In-Tas'. This support system wasn’t on the scribblers anymore when he started Grade Two. However telling him that could not even bring a smile because he was distraught that he was not getting it as well as the rest of his class. He could learn it his teacher had told me, but he wanted to spend his time drawing or daydreaming. I knew my son and I well knew the teacher was absolutely right. For some inexplicable reason he did not pay the least bit of attention in Arithmetic class. He hated it! I was extremely upset about it all and made a concerted effort to try and help him do his homework. He would dawdle, say he was thirsty, chew on his pencil, start telling me a story to distract me and slouch down in the chair. He displayed a totally mental negative attitude about mathematics in general even though he well knew his numbers, what was required of him and had done some of it the previous year. However, for some reason he took a dreadful dislike to anything remotely like Arithmetic. It was puzzling to say the least. My concerns and fears were worsening daily. Then a friend suggested I do the 'apple trick' that she had done with her son when he was experiencing the same problem. So I acquired a dozen bright shiny red apples, and I began what was to be the most exasperating tutoring Exercise of my life to date. John and I sat at the table and for four or five hours we went over and over the fact that 'two apples plus two apples make four apples', 'five apples minus one apple is four apples', and on and on it went until he finally seemed to get it, and get it right. I was so pleased and he went off to bed all prepared for his test in Arithmetic the next day. The next day I waited for the school bus with great anxiety because I was so troubled about his Arithmetic test, definitely more troubled than he was, because he just did not care. I expected he would do well after the 'apple arithmetic marathon' the previous evening but I was wrong. When we arrived home, I took his test sheet and saw he had not done well at all on his test. He may as well not have written it. "John, what in the world happened? You knew it so well last night? How come you did so poorly on your test?", I asked through my bewildered psyche. I pressed him for an answer but he just shrugged and went on his way. He had just given up even trying to learn this Arithmetic by then. Soon he came back, looked up at me and said, " It's your fault Mom. You forgot to give me any apples to use. I can’t do it without apples!" I went into a stupor, and I think I stayed that way until he finally started to apply himself, on his own terms, and finally conquered mathematics, graduating from high school and moving onto college. I was still wondering what the heck it was that caused him to block out Arithmetic and keep it blocked out for months until nearly the end of Grade Two. John went on to study for a profession in which he would need mathematics daily. My fears were limitless. How would he get through college mathematics? But he did, and I often wondered if he was carrying a bag of apples concealed in that huge backpack he wore. Graduation from college came and John earned an award for 'Perseverance and Pursuit of Perfection' in his studies. I still was stuck on the days of the apples and in I was still in a state of mental confusion. So, as many young people were doing and are still doing, he moved to Western Canada and completed more courses there, going on to even more complicated mathematics. It was still all an enigma to me. A couple of years later, during one of his routine phone calls, he told me he had completed everything successfully and had achieved his goal. I was very proud of him but I simply had to ask again, "How did you ever do all of that after your problems years ago with simple Arithmetic? How did you ever grasp Trigonometry?" "Don't know. Never thought about it.", he answered. A few days later he phoned again, and was,while laughing hilariously,trying to sputter out some words. His laughter is always so wonderful to hear. He has a marvelous sense of humor and is a great impressionist so I could not conceive what stunt he was pulling now. His pranks, hijinks, and practical jokes were, and are, a wonderful part of our family life. Finally he managed to speak. "I thought about it Mom and I know what happened now with the Arithmetic.”,he informed me. "What was it then?", I inquired, never knowing what to expect from him. His voice boomed loudly across the miles. "APPLE COMPUTERS,” he yelled with great delight. Then he hung up! I was befuddled. Then I realized that, after all of that misery, it was still ‘APPLES’ that got him through! Now, doesn't that beat all? Oh, me shattered nerves!