7th Week and Mr. Father Hates Math

We're getting into our 7th week of homeschooling.  I'm not sure if I told you that we wouldn't be taking a break this week or next week.  Since Beauty started first grade over we have to work year round to keep her on schedule.  This could change if she advances through some activities.  

This week, due to working, Mr. Father had to teach Beauty yesterday.  He usually teaches on Mondays and it's all about handwriting, creative writing, and reading.  Yesterday he got a taste of the math.  He didn't like it.  They worked their way through it.  He lived to tell the tale.

Mr. Father and I grew up with Old Math.  You know, the kind actual ancient mathematicians used.  We are not fans of Divergent Thinking.  We grew up learning 1+1=2.  End of discussion.  Accept it.  Move on.  If you want to think creatively about it you can do it when you're a grown up and have a job.  

Yesterday was Mr. Father's first exposure to this new math.  It had him confused and thinking too much about it.  "It had 1 monkey plus 1 monkey makes 2 monkeys, and 1 kitten plus 1 kitten makes 2 kittens, but what happens if you get them mixed up and then you have 1 monkey plus 1 monkey makes a kitten?!"  

I told Mr. Father this is why we do a little bit of Reasoning math but supplement a lot of drill work for math. 
It's easy.  We know how to do it.  Beauty knows how to do it.  We can move on.

This got Mr. Father and I talking about Math.  We wonder how will there be great mathematicians in the future if they are slowed down from advancing by all the possibilities of arriving at the same answer?  Maybe we don't understand the benefits of divergent thinking.  Maybe we're just too practical.  Maybe we still believe the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

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