Maggie, a third grade student, was failing in math. She had learned to add and subtract by counting on her fingers. She was proud of how fast she could make those fingers fly. But, Maggie ran into trouble with problems, when the sum was above 10.

Her father is in the service, and the family must move often. Maggie and her mother lived with her grandmother in West Virginia for 6 weeks in 1997. They came to "Grandma" for help.

Maggie needed to stop counting, and memorize the math facts. She also needed to experience success again. I taught her the magical 9 multiplication table, using the 9 River picture. Within 10 minutes, she could tell me all the 9 table, and was begging for more problems. She was having fun. Then, I showed her how to find the answers to other multiplication problems by using the M Squad Mystery Card. When she came for her next lesson, she told me that she was the only one in her class who knew the 9 table. Her pleasure in this accomplishment was evident.

I taught Maggie the multiplication tables first, so she would learn to rely completely on the Grandma’s Magical Math pictures and rhymes. I taught her mother to play 2 chords on the ukulele, and gave her my "uke" to take home. She played while she and Maggie sang the multiplication tables to the tune of "Skip to My Lou". When Maggie mastered the multiplication tables, she got to play the uke while her mother and I sang with her. What a joyful noise! We didn’t try to teach her to play chords. Learning the math is more important to me than the sound of the music.

After the first lesson, I knew I must find a way to keep those little fingers too busy to count. I made up a card game called "Tear Down the Castle". She needed to hold the deck of cards in one hand, and turn up the card to play with the other hand. She learned to add and subtract with sums of 11 to 18 by using G.M.M. pictures as she played this card game.

After each lesson, I sent notes, explaining my teaching procedure, to Maggie’s teacher and principal. I enclosed materials they could copy.

This school uses Grandma’s Magical Math in the first and second grades, but no one had met Grandma. Maggie asked me to go to her school for lunch and visit her classroom. I said I would, if she learned all her math facts. I did not expect her to master them all before she had to leave. When she did, I had to keep my word. Grandma was Maggie’s show and tell.

My greatest reward was seeing this proud little girl, sitting at my dining room table, saying, "Ask me anything!" and firing back answers almost as soon as I finished asking the problem. What a joy teaching is!!!

I received a Christmas card from Maggie. She is getting good grades and having fun in her new school.

 - Eva "Grandma" Hanson


The story above is true.  Maggie is not her real name, but she is a real child.  Mrs. Hanson was 87 years old in 1997 when she wrote this.