Math=Mania

PTA night was something completely different.  No kid-centric performances.  No copious awards.  No endless reports.  We enjoyed a simple, warm & friendly chili dinner.  The PTA president and the school principal hit the highlights in less than a half hour.  And on the the main event.....

MATH MANIA!!!

Not in my memory has MLB been so excited to go to a PTA meeting.  Even though he fell hard asleep in the car as we ran an errand beforehand-- all it took was a whisper in his ear ("Math Mania") to bring him to life.  Barely a bite he ate-- well, of chili, anyways (the cookie, the chips and the pumpkin bread disappeared)-- in his excitement to participate in the math games.

My MLB, such a sweet boy!  All of his previous teachers stopped by our table to say "Hi."  His S.P.A.C.E. teacher couldn't wait to share the news that of all the Fourth Graders that took the Math-Olympiad test today, only MLB scored 4 out of 5; no one scored a five-- not in Fourth Grade, not any grade.  (Even the Fifth Grade had just four 4s.)  The other parents, seeing their own children's scores of 3, 2, 1 (some did not score,) would remark upon MLB's 4.  Their kids, "But of course, it's MLB-- duh."  Not jealous, just incredulous that their parents don't know who it is they're talking about.

MLB skipped-- yes, skipped!-- the length of the school to the S.P.A.C.E. classroom because he could not wait to show us the number game he learned that day, "Knock Out."  He preferred using a pair of octahedral dice instead of a trio of cube dice.  The game seems to be a variant of "Shut the Box."  He owned poor Carl; luck and dice were on MLB's side.  Then, while I was shopping at the book fair, he and Carl joined the other families at playing Multiplication Bingo.  Took a few rounds for MLB to get a bingo, but bingo he did and won a pencil.  More exciting than that??  He won the door prize of a $10 B&N giftcard.  More books!

I'm so pleased, so blessed, to know that MLB has been given such a gift, such a delight.  It will take him far, and he will be joyful along his journey. We can't wait to see where he goes.

Grissom Junior Math Explorers
October 2013
Fourth Grade, First Place