I had the opportunity to sub in two classrooms this week at the school my twins go to. I can't believe they paid me. It was a complete pleasure to be with them, and the time flew by. I did the list of things the teacher outlined, like reading and spelling. We also squeezed in a few extra songs and games. 

 

When I said the words "Addition Flash cards" the room buzzed with children going straight to the drawer where they are kept, breaking into groups and plunging into problems. There was not the slightest resistance, or a single comment of "We did this last week!!!"

 

As I watched pairs or triplets of kids asking each other 4+7 and 9+2, their little fingers popped up and down, with tongue tips wiggling in the corners of their mouths. At some point our educational system agreed that practicing math facts is a good plan, and kids have been whipping through cards ever since. 

 

I taught the third graders another way to practice, disguised as a game. We put a number from 0-16 on the back of their chairs and took turns asking number problems. If you were sitting in the chair with the right answer you had to ask another problem before we counted to ten. We all held our breath with the anticipation of each response, as they bounced around the circle.

 

I wonder what would happen if we grown ups practiced Forgiveness and Compassion Flash Cards as routinely.