5th Grade Math Wins

It's official. I now realize where in my scholastic past it all went wrong. Where Math gained the upper hand, once and for all.  Where my future as an English major was sealed.

5th grade fractions.

Turns out I can multiply and divide fractions with the best of 'em (granted, I re-learned along with the boys a couple weeks ago). I was feeling proud of myself, thinking, "Gee, if I could go back and revisit little Ems I would assure her that math isn't so bad! We can do this!".......and then we got to story problems today.

Story problems have long been a bane, in general. Really, I think most of us will agree. Trying to wade through a long-winded, convoluted situation involving children named Dawn Marie and Keisha and Akim is never easy. Add to the mix the fact that we are talking about fractions and that you need to somehow figure out if multiplication or division is needed to solve these problems -- AND the wheels promptly fall off the bus.

I have no idea why in some of these problems you multiply the fractions. Why sometimes they need must be divided. It seems extremely arbitrary. The only way I can solve them is by doing the problems both ways and seeing which one actually makes sense (Hmm, I guess it makes more sense that Shanda made 28 cupcakes rather than 3/74).

Anyway, this was perhaps more of a vent then an actual post. If any readers understand fractions, obscured within paragraphs of nonsensical ramblings, I encourage you to become a math teacher. Or send me an email.

Thank you.

Rule #732: Review YouTube videos on fractions (note to self)