Staten Island Chuck bit Mayor Bloomberg last year-I know why

It truly is Groundhog Day, as I am revisiting the same frustration that I felt as a child over learning math, with my child. I do remember my 4th grade teacher losing me. I didn't get it, and got left behind. And I felt really, really bad. This was the 60's- remember "new math" then?

Thought not.

Anyway, I am what is known as a visual thinker. I see the picture first in my mind. I am not a linear thinker. I do not extrapolate from abstraction generally. In other words, draw me a picture (or a diagram)! I think my son may be, too. So, when I looked at the drawing of the square with the grid inside it, (10 columns, 10 rows) on my son's worksheet, I saw that it had 65 of the little squares shaded out of the 100. The worksheet asked for the kid to name the shaded part as both a fraction and as a decimal. My son had 1.65. And smarty mcsmarty pants me says, There is no "one". "Yes there is MOM!! It's right THERE!!!" he screamed at me. And thus began my Groundhog Day.

I pleaded to the lump on the floor to please listen to me, but all I could muster from him was a snarl. This called for emergency tactics. So, I started in with my Marva.

"OK! Let's pretend I just broke my arm off into 100 pieces, and they all fell on the ground. I would be armless and look like THIS: (and I jammed my arm behind my back and made awful gurgling noises). If someone picked up a few of the pieces, say 65, and glued them back on, my arm would look like this: (and I bent my arm so my forearm and hand was still bent out of sight). I'd have a little more than 1/2 an arm, but no hand. If I were a Lego, you would need more pieces." And I got a response!!!!!! "Mom, Lego arms only have 2 pieces". So, I say, "Right! one piece in this case would be half or one piece, 2 pieces would be the whole ARM. So, 100 pieces would be MY whole arm. Then it would be ONE arm. 50 pieces would be half of my arm".

The lump was actually looking at me when he reached over and corrected his paper.

Only 65 of the squares were supposed to be "there" and counted, but the whole square WAS still there. I know, logic and following instructions is the way to go, but when the picture brain takes over, what is one to do?