My student Darius saw that I have a blog and suggested that I write an article about how fifth graders need to learn their multiplication tables. I thought this was an excellent idea. I tutor students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. I provide a lot of help in math and am constantly frustrated that my middle school students don't know their basic multiplication tables, unlike Darius. This makes it harder for them to do basic math like multiplying and dividing fractions and reducing them to simplest forms. It is shocking how inadequate most students are at simple multiplication. As a result I frequently drill students on multiplication and give them multiplication worksheets to do as extra work. It makes me grateful for all those painful car trips when my father used to quiz me over and over again on my times tables.

Darius would also like to comment that people should learn to drive at the age of 15. He also thinks that students should learn how to make websites at a younger age. Such are the musings of my esteemed sixth-grader.