I'm surprised at how many 13-year-olds are not able to perform simple mathematics with no calculator. I went through the drive-through a few days ago and the total was something like $4.07. At the window I gave the teenager $5.07 so I would get a dollar back instead of a pile of change that would increase my weight by 1/2 pound. The poor girl, being baffled, gave me back the 7 cents and was about to enter $5.00 into the computer so it could inform her how much change she must give me. So I stopped her and said something like "no, just take the 7 cents and give me back one dollar. Honestly, she looked at me like that look a deer has just as you are about to plow into him with your car while your high-beams are on. Sensing her extreme psychological anguish, I simply told her "never mind" and let her continue as she'd intended.
Anyway, I supposed it to be a one-off incident but then I witnessed a similar thing in my own home. My 12-year-old was counting the days until his birthday (it was like the 5th and his birthday was on the 19th) and I saw him literally counting the days on the calendar from the 5th to the 19th in sequence, which triggered an interesting conversation...
me: why do you not just subtract 5 from 19 to get the answer?
him: can I borrow your calculator?
me: can't you do it in your mind?
him: (thinking out loud) 18, 17, 16...
me: ok try this. what's 9 minus 5?
him: (again thinking out loud) 8, 7, 6...
me: do you not just KNOW the answer? My instructors practically forced us to remember these simple math facts long before I turned 12
Anyway, it went on this way for some time. I realized at that point that I needed to do something to get him to master simple math facts or his adult life was going to be challenging at best. I've been a software developer for many years so I wrote a little program that would present him with math speed drills of simple facts (i.e.: 1+1 to 9+9) and told him before he played games or watched television for the day he must do the drills. Not just that, but his score would have to be at least as good as the previous day. The results were so good that I packaged up this "Speed Math" program and am now selling it online.
I guess what I am trying to say is this...
Do not rely on your children's school to "teach" them the things that we typically take for granted. If you are old enough to have children in their teens, odds are your instructors would not accept anything less than perfection when it came to math facts, handwriting, phonics and several other core pieces of knowledge that are the foundation of all other learning. That does not seem to be the case nowadays. Ask your children and their friends some basic questions like "what is 7 times 6?" and you'll be able to tell if they instantly know the solution or if they need to count in their head to "calculate" the answer. It won't take you long to understand what I'm talking about.
Also, if you do check out SpeedMath, do not let your children quit until they can complete the SpeedMath Challenge.
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About the Author
Tony Manso is the designer and author of math worksheets SpeedMath from AME Labs. The software program is helping kids around the globe to learn their math facts . SpeedMath from AME Labs is not just an excellent substitute for math worksheets , but could quite possibly be the most efficient method for learning math . Parents are strongly recommended to learn more at www.SpeedMath.org
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