You know it's true. If you want your children to master mathematics, you need to give them certain tools so that they can whip the heck out of this difficult subject. One of those tools is a mastery of arithmetic. Another is a mastery of fractions. These two together will give your children a formidable arsenal against this notorious subject.

Unfortunately, my crusade toward ending mathematical illiteracy—or as the writer John Allen Paulos put it—innumeracy, has been thwarted by a lack of publicity on the evils of this condition. Being mathematically illiterate has serious consequences not just for your fledgling children but also for adults in all walks of life. Parents, you know how dreaded is the knowledge that your child is struggling in math; and this is because doing poorly in this subject often has serious negative repercussions for doing well in school. Children who do well in math—which they know is a tough subject—gain the confidence to lick other battles in other subjects. Thus a child who struggles in English yet does very well in mathematics, still has a high self-assessment because such students know they are capable in a subject that many do poorly in. On the other hand, students who do poorly in mathematics tend to have lower self-assessments of their academic abilities.

For this reason, getting children off to a strong start in mathematics is principal in any educator's plan. As parents, we should see that our children are getting off to such strong starts and are also given any tools, aids, tricks, or whatever to insure that they succeed in mathematics. Fraction mastery is one of these tools. And fraction mastery is simpler than one might believe.

Really, arithmetic and fraction mastery go hand in hand. Master arithmetic and fractions are

problematic no more. So when parents ask me what they can give to their kids so that they can succeed in school, I tell them to give their children the keys to mastery over these two areas. For this reason, I have condensed over twenty years of teaching experience into the production of these keys. Hopefully, through the use of these keys, my crusade to end mathematical illiteracy will one day be victorious.

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