It was a bright Monday morning, and the classroom hummed with the lively energy that follows the weekend. Ms. Carter, a young and eager teacher, stood at the front of her third-grade class, ready to make math enjoyable for her students.
“Alright, everyone,” she said with a warm smile, “Let’s tackle a word problem.”
She grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote on the board:
“If you have one dollar and ask your dad for another, how many dollars will you have?”
Turning toward the students, she pointed at a boy sitting in the third row. “Billy, why don’t you try this one?”
Billy, a bright and honest boy with a playful grin, sat up straight and replied, “One dollar.”
Ms. Carter raised her eyebrows in surprise. “One? Billy, are you certain? If you start with one and ask your dad for another, wouldn’t that be two dollars?”
Billy shook his head. “No, ma’am.”
She laughed softly. “Billy, I’m afraid you might be a little off on your math.”
Billy leaned forward, looking serious. “Sorry, Miss, but I think you don’t know my dad.”
The class erupted in laughter. Ms. Carter, caught off guard, smiled and chuckled along. “Well, Billy,” she said, trying to steady herself, “I guess that’s more about economics than arithmetic.”
