HENRY: I don’t like explaining my thinking. I like answering multiple choice and that’s all. Mrs. Smith [his third grade teacher] makes me explain my thinking all the time.
Excepted from a wonderful piece of writing, as Mom interviews 9 year old Henry. Whole story is here, courtesy of the always interesting McSweeny's blog.
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I think it was back around 4th grade - so I was 10 years old - we were given a math quiz of 10 questions. When the teacher handed back the results of the quiz - I did pretty well if I remember - she said that on one particular question, only 4 out of 30 kids got it right. She asked those who got it right to stand up. I was one of them.
ReplyDeleteShe turned to me and asked "So how did you arrive at the proper answer?" I used no specific math formula - just an instinctual set of logic and inner permutations. As I was halfway thru my explanation, the teacher let out a huff, waved me off, and commanded me to sit down. The other 3 correct students got their chance and explained their common formula.
I've never forgotten that. I was right. And I was wronged... :)
- J.