MATHEMAGICS FOR TEENS AND JUNIORS

TERM 3 evolving towards Term 4 of 2006

A REPORT by JAIN

The PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP
in VEDIC MATHEMATICS CLASSES

An interesting phenomenon has occurred for Term 3 of 2006 (that runs for 8 weeks, one class per week), regarding the separate or individual classes for children and adults. To increase afternoon class sizes at Shearwater Steiner School, I joined the 5 teenagers with the 5 adults. It was interesting that all the adults that had registered for their class were also the parents of the teenagers that had enrolled, so when the class combined, each Parent sat near their teenage child.

The same phenomenon happened with the Mathemagics for Juniors, it was expected that Parents would sit in as guests to be with their 8 to 12 year old child, so this was not surprising. In this Junior’s class, 4 Parents sat with their child.

I can report that in both classes, but mainly with the teenage students, it became quite evident that the teenagers invariably calculated their multiplications at the speed of light, much faster than their parent who was still scratching their head or still attempting to work out the answer to common questions like 13x14 or 103x104.

It was quite satisfying to see this in play, as it demonstrates how the younger mind, not so indoctrinated by western style mathematics, could be more flexible enough to adopt a new mathematical method like Mental Calculation, whereas the Parents had been so locked into their old and more comfortable way of multiplying digits.

I also observed that the Parents were doing this class not just for the high benefit of their child, but because they are interested in working through their deep mathematical hurts or wounds or hang-ups that originated from their early years at school when they were told that they were not good enough, or dumb, or failures and a whole tirade of such abuse. The good news is that after only about 4 lots of 2 hour sessions, which is half of the Certified Certificate Course, they are realizing, thanks to the efficiency of the Vedic and Jain Mathemagics Methods, that they are brilliant mathematicians getting results at the Speed of Thought, thanks to their ability to tune into the supreme and lost Art of Pattern Recognition.

I am writing this report on Day 4 of the Day 8 (1 day per week) program as all Parents and Students have vastly improved their mathematical capabilities.

Even if a student does not choose to run with this Vedic Mathematics, it is still implanted within their Consciousness that there is another system at play, and at a later date, they may remember this information or make a reference to it that once they had learnt another way.

Obviously the challenge here is that the schools the students go to have not yet embraced that there is another way of multiplying, adding or dividing their digits. So this transition for the Global Curriculum to become embraced, may take a generation or so until the time comes when everyone naturally performs their mathematical calculations in their head.

I can only report or conclude that I was delightfully surprised to witness this evolving Parent/Child relationship and plan to promote the next upcoming Term 4 of 2006 Mathemagics classes in this vein of Dual Learning, inviting the Parent to become more involved in their Child’s Mathematical Education.

Another surprise was to hear the 8 year old students demanding that the 2 hour class not end. Isnt that surprising, the child has been at school all day, then they do anther two hours of Mental Calculation with me and at the end of the class create a big fuss to keep going on, at which point the parent has had enough, brain-drained, and the lesson closes. I perceive that they see Mental Calculation as a game or a play, that is why I suspect that they like it so much.

As an aside, I did some research, asking of the Parents in my classes, whether or not their own Parents had had an active involvement in their growing years at school. Their answers were all a startling and common NONE or NIL.

Both Parents and Teenagers said that they enjoy quizzing or challenging one another when they go on a car, train or bus ride:

“OK, Mum, you’ve got only 5 seconds to tell me what is 108 x 108?”

I will update upon this report after the students and parents have received their Certificates for completing the course. I believe that there is more to report or elaborate on, as other half-hidden emotions are surfacing or becoming apparent, like the deep bond and emotion of “proudness” of the Parent/Guardian toward the Child or vice-versa, due to this “caring”, I sense riveting life-long connections forming; I sense “Gratitude” from both parties for experiencing this new mathematics in this non-threatening environment of “togetherness”. There is also this vague sense of “sporting” as subtle challenges are manifesting between the Parent and Child to see who can out-wit one another.

Especially because this ancient knowledge is not well-known, it makes the knowledge being taught more sacred, and thus the Parent and Child are actually discovering a treasure in this state of being together, in this beautiful state of “sharing the experience”. As you can see, this phenomenon has many layers to it, and needs many more months and perhaps years to reveal the depth of what has just been discussed.

With all this inspiration, I expect that my next promotional flyer would like something like this:

JAIN MATHEMAGICS and VEDIC MATHMATICS
DUAL or COMBINED LEARNING CLASSES

• Get involved with your Child’s education
• Learn the supreme Art of Mental Calculation
• Develops your Mathematical Confidence
• Increases your Memory Power
• Dr Jain heals past Mathematical Traumas.

 written and posted by Jain on the 1st September, 2006