He was worried about losing them. He could write equations on the blackboard all day long, but if he didn’t find a way to connect with them soon, they’d never master multiplication up to 100. One day, once again concerned about reaching his third-graders, he was lost in thought and wrote “3 x 4 = 16” on the green-tinted slate.
“Hahaha,” Marvin called. “Mr. Edwards, that’s not 16! 3 times 4 equals 12, everyone knows that!” “Oh, of course. You’re right, Marvin, looks like I slipped up there.” He was about to continue business as usual, but as he wiped away the chalky numbers, a thought hit him and he paused mid-swipe. Did Marvin just volunteer the correct answer to a problem? All because he had…? What if…?
The next day, Mr. Edwards wrote down another block of equations. On the seventh of eight lines, he wrote “20 / 5 = 5.” This time, he slipped it in there on purpose. The response promptly came. “Uhm, Mr. Edwards?” Anna was shy, but she held her hand up high. “Yes, Anna?” “That’s not right. 20 divided by 5 equals 4.” Bingo! He mustered all his enthusiasm and said: “Oh! Wow, what an amazing catch, Anna! Great job! You’re a real math detective, aren’t you?” The 9-year-old was beaming in her seat.