Multiplication Rhymes
Dreamed c.1983 by Jeff as told by Patricia Garfield
Jeff had recently acquired a ten-year-old stepson, Lewis. The boy, just enrolled in a fourth-grade class that was much more advanced than his previous school, was having trouble; mathematics in particular was causing Lewis grief. Vainly the child struggled to learn the multiplication table while adjusting to his new home life. This generated tension that caused quarreling among the family members one night, after an especially frustrating session trying to help his stepson learn his times tables, Jeff had a dream that included some characters singing a jingle:
You can't remember the words of this song,The amusing jingle stuck in his mind all the next day. That evening, as he again tried to help Lewis with his homework, Jeff had a sudden inspiration--he began composing rhymes for the multiplication table. Soon Lewis was making up his own verses:
'Cause we make them up as we go along!
Nine times eight is seventy-two!Inventing several nonsensical but memorable verses imprinted the times table into Lewis's mind at last. Literally overnight he went from the bottom of his class to the top... Jeff's dream-inspired jingle-making marked the beginning of a long-term friendship between stepson and stepfather.
If you don't believe me,
I'll kiss your shoe!
SOURCE: Women's Bodies, Women's Dreams by Patricia Garfield, 1988, p.270; primary source Your Child's Dreams by Garfield, 1984, p.22-3.
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