‘John’s Apple Arithmetic’ When my son John started Grade two, he hit a major stumbling block. For some inexplicable reason he just could not grasp the addition and subtraction that the class was now learning. All of them seemed to be moving on and John was stuck. A lack of attention on his part, I suspect, was the base of the problem. I was extremely upset for him and made a concerted effort to help him understand the concepts. However he would become upset with it all, and we were at a standstill with the problem worsening daily. Then a friend of mine suggested I do the ‘apple solution’ that she had done with her son when he was at that point and having the same problem. It worked for her son. So out came the dozen bright shiny red apples. 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 convinced, as I was, that he was ready for the test in arithmetic the next day. I waited for the school bus the next day. I was so anxious to find out how he did with his arithmetic test, expecting he would do well. But as soon as I saw his schoolboyish face, I knew all was not well. When we were finally inside our house I took his test sheet and saw he had not done well at all. He was so upset, and it seemed he was more peeved with me than he was with the test. “John, what in the world happened? You knew it so well last night? How come you didn’t pass your test?", I asked as I pushed for an answer to this crazy quandary with the adding and subtracting. This small boy looked at me and said "Well, Mom, you didn’t give me any apples to use. I can’t do it without apples!" So, in John’s mind, the blame was laid at my feet and I felt like a complete failure as a mother. I went into shock, and I didn’t recover from that shock until he finally conquered mathematics and graduated from high school, going on to study electrical work where mathematics is a necessity. I often wonder if he carries a bag of apples somewhere with him as he does his work. Yes, Mom forgot the apples-doesn’t that beat all? Bonnie Jarvis-Lowe A perplexed mother!   Submitted By: Bonnie Jarvis-Lowe