Lumpy Expressions

“Learning should be as easy as remembering a story!” says Miss Anna. Diary One cold November day, 2015 'I can't believe it! John doesn't know his numbers! Not even number 1. And how old is he? He is 3-and-a half!' 'Now, why doesn't he know his numbers! He can utter them, likes to sit down with a book that has the numbers in them in 30 size font!!! 'Okay, breathe...take a deep breath. It isn't the end of the world or the end of John if he doesn't know his numbers. He's just different, he is, from the gazillion of kids who just learns the numbers by....osmosis. He just learn differently that's all.' 'Okay... Gather yourself together. How can I help John learn his numbers?' 'Forming numbers out of pieces of dried pasta? Cheerios to trace the number five? Hmm... That's rather dry. I mean... It may be a fun finger exercise, but is it even effective?' 'Constant repetition of showing the numbers? Well, that's how children learned their numbers isn't it? For thousands of years? Just keep showing John how the numbers look like and what their names are until he finally... gets it??? I mean, that's how I must have learned my numbers.' 'But then... There is John, my 3-and-a-half-year-old dear, dear John. Constantly making him stare at the numbers isn't working for him. It WILL NOT work for him and definitely HAS NOT worked for him. Look at the bare facts. He's struggling to learn even number 1. He can say the numbers...but not connect the names to those number figures.' 'Yeah. Come to look at it, those number figures are an abstract bunch. There are random lines, some are angular, some are circular... I can see why it is so hard for young John to figure it out. He needs something more concrete. Something to hold on to. Something he recognizes and knows...like a ball for instance. Now, is there anything young minds can hold on to when learning their numbers? Anything that can hold their hand when they are trying to learn them?' 'He's very sad...I can see that. Look! His shoulders have dropped down, and his eyes are downcast. He thinks he has disappointed me. He saw that I was shocked when he couldn't point to number one. My sharp remark didn't help. Foolish mouth of mine...' 'How small he looks...' 'I'm not mad at him. No, not mad. I was a bit frustrated and somewhat upset. I guess I just expected him to recognize some of his numbers, but to see him know not one... That was a jolt in the head.' 'Let me think. Okay, how can I help my John? Is there a way? All books out there on numbers are the same, it seems.' 'Thomas the Train, Sesame Street... There again is the big number 1 and one cookie beside it. There is the big number 2 and two rubber duckies beside it. Every number teaching book presents the concept the same way now I think of it.' 'But these books are not helping John learn his numbers. He still cannot connect the number names to the number themselves.' 'Oh, is there a way? A better way? Please...' (Continued in Teaching Style)