Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Fractions


Today I had to help a 2nd grader with fractions. Retrieving buried information from my early elementary years proved comical. The little girl, Annie, who waited patiently as I drew a picture of a circle to illustrate a pie, Then the hard part came in explaining how all little parts of the pie make up a whole.
    After I finished with homework help at the library, I thought of my mother. Today is the anniversary of her death. I couldn't help feeling her presence as I struggled to make sure Annie knew the correct answer.  Or a celestial chuckle when I had to get her attention. Math has always been a struggle for me. My lack of homework skills never made it easier. The nights with my mother trying to explain mathematical concepts appeared while I googled an example for my young student.
       Now I'm sitting with a glass of red wine wondering if I should take a class to brush up on my math skils.
My mother's happy to see me writing and at least wanting to get the right answers in life.