It was an average day, just like any other; and all I can remember vividly is the sense of joy, excitement, and an adrenaline rush to be a part of the prestigious World University Games, in Fukuoka, Japan, Circa, 1995. Being in Japan was an invaluable experience itself, and at the time, as a part of the US Virgin Islands athletic delegation, we were given the opportunities to explore the beauty, tradition, and food. The highlight of the day would be an observatory visit to a School.
During the visit, I witnessed the proficiency of Japanese children in Mathematics. I was totally amazed and wowed but being a part of international competition, I was more focused on winning rather than, What an amazing skill!
Fast forward to the point in my life, when I started homeschooling my twin daughters Maida and Mainuma when they were about 2 years old. I always knew that I sucked at Math, but while teaching my kids I realized, how much Mathematics made me uneasy, and one of the obvious reason is a psychological aversion towards the subject, along with a lack of practice, and another reason would be the way that I was taught. To be honest, Mathematics did make me queasy, uneasy, and anxious. The worse I felt, the worse I performed, and the worse I performed, the worse I felt. (Can anyone relate?) It was a vicious cycle of negativity, and I carried it till I looked at the faces of my kids, anxious, and struck by the same anxiety. The realization hit me hard, and I instantly decided to make some changes for children.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” — Lao Tzu
I started researching more effective ways of teaching math to young children. A few weeks in the struggle, out of the blue, I was back in Japan, in that ecosystem, where the students followed a progressive learning system using the abacus.
That’s when I started looking at the abacus as the tool to teach my girls.
“Passion is a bridge from possibility to probability.” — T.F. Hodge
On the basis of my experience watching Japanese kids, I immediately sought out the tool. And since the ones on the market were too complicated for me to get easily, I decided to build my own. That’s when I created the jr.counter- inspired by the Soroban Abacus with a little American twist. Through a combination of innovation, and tradition out came the Jr.Counter that allows the user to add pieces to form a collective.
Once I figured out the tool, I started seeing exceptional blended and active learning in my own, so I started creating a progressive curriculum around the Jr.Counter aimed to improve and enhance the efficiency of math learning.
“Dull minds are never either intuitive or mathematical.” — Blaise Pascal, Pensées
Then came a Pro-Bono patent application to go with the course, and jumping on the Start-up Incubator-horse, (4.0 Schools, ATDC, gAlpha, gBeta, DigitalUndevided) the idea took flight right into the acceleration phase.
Mathematic,Jr. is out on the mission to improve and enhance how young children are exposed to math.
We champion Math-mastery for the young.
Why don’t you step forward, and join the Math-evolution!
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