FoxTrot Classics by Bill Amend for May 01, 2024

Throw the book at him. Literally.

Jason is a mob.

Not everyone can do algebra like it’s Super Mario Bros’ World 1-1, you four-eyed goblin!

Something ironic I’ve discovered about people’s understanding of math. My daughter is severely dyslexic and has trouble adding 1 and 1 (or any other arithmetic problem). Yet she excels at mathematics, especially algebra (our rule is she needs to get at least a 90% on any assignment before moving to the next (we homeschool so we make the rules); between Algebra 1 and Algebra 2, I think she’s had to repeat 3 assignment, all due to arithmetic errors). Yet when she struggles with arithmetic in life (her biggest problem is keeping track of which is higher and which is lower in numbers, so 2+2 might equal 0 in her mind), people assume she can’t do math and give her grief since both of her parents are engineers.

I can do simple math problems, but the only way I passed algebra was by memorizing most of the textbook. I did well in geometry, though.

The youngest always has a deep yearning to gloat when the opportunity presents itself.

Ahhh! another day that I didn’t need to use algebra! That’s 21000 in a row!

So does she want Peter to hold Jason down while she waterboards him with that can of soda?

Jason’s face is in the perfect spot to be kicked.

I had calculus in college and did pretty well. Unfortunately, that was over fifty years ago. I can now barely do addition and subtraction. I use an Excel sheet for that.

My younger brother was in high school at a really bad time for his level of motivation. This was in the mid-1970’s and his Freshman math used the “self-paced” concept: REALLY bad for him! I don’t think he was able to complete it until he was a Senior, if then (I don’t know, I was long out of the house at that time). My parents’ expectations of him were certainly lower than they were of me (Mother: “If only he can get through high school…”)!

Jason is gonna grow up and turn into an incel, unfortunately

Have you ever questioned why they teach algebra to us all in high school. In eighty years of living I’ve not one time used algebra. Arithmetic yes, maybe even a little geometry but algebraic formulas, No way.