It all seems to add up

Coral Wilson

“I don’t get it.”

“Twelve times 2, 12 times 3, 12 times 4...”

“What number are you on?”

“What are you eating for lunch?”

Tapping pencils, sighs of frustration, constant counting and

recounting are the sounds of Gary Joyce’s fourth-grade math class at

Joseph R. Perry Elementary School as the students quiz each other on

their multiplication tables.

Three classrooms have been regrouped by level and this group is

having an especially hard time understanding it all.

Joyce shows 10-year-old Alex Perez that 11 has an easy pattern.

“Two twos are 22, two threes are 33.”

At about seven and eight, Alex begins to catch on.

The big question of the day is “How many rocks are in Anilette’s

rock collection?”

She has four shelves and 24 rocks on each shelf. The concept is

overwhelming. Even Anilette doesn’t know.

Pictures.

Pictures always help. So Joyce draws four shelves with 24 rocks on

each. 24 plus 24 plus -- addition works.

The kids begin to rock back in their chairs, visit with neighbors

and attend to personal projects.

“But can anyone tell me a faster way to do it?” Joyce asks.

Everyone looks up. Multiplication.

That works even better.

This is when they get their warning, “Guess what. You will see it

on a test later.”

Vanessa Estrada, Tabatha Paranic and Alex Lee come up to the

whiteboard for the mathematical challenge. Vanessa solves her problem

quickly and runs back to her seat. Tabatha is next, but Alex gets

stuck with division, which is a whole new world.

Joyce guides him through, and the class helps out, standing up to

give hints and yelling “Noooo!” when Alex gets off track.

After a little more practice, the students quiz each other again,

this time picking up the pace. They know what is coming.

Test time.

It’s a one-minute test, and the students scribble frantically.

This is their chance to apply everything they have learned today.

They slap their hands down on the table, tap their pencils nervously

and double check on their fingers.

Tabatha has one last question as she turns in her test.

“What’s 11 times 11?”

“One hundred twenty-one.”

“Oh,” she replies, not so certain that all of this will have a use

in the future.

* CORAL WILSON is a news assistant with Times Community News. She

can be reached at (714) 965-7177 or by e-mail at

[email protected].