How I Became a Human Calculator

Meet Hunter, who is barely three years old. Hunter doesn't know how to count yet, and if you asked him what symbols such as 2, 7, 10, or 59 mean, he couldn't tell you. But even without these things, Hunter is a mathematical genius. Hunter has a calculator installed in his brain.

Now, don't be alarmed by that last statement: this is not some new fad for rich parents hoping to make their offspring a child genius. In fact, there was no surgery involved. Just some paper, 5,050 dots, and a little game that takes less than five minutes a day.

You see, before Hunter learned to count, he learned about numbers. Real numbers, not symbols such as 4, 9, IV, or VII. He learned that:

This is "one", "two", "three", "four", "five", and "six". These are REAL numbers, or true quantity. And while counting and symbols are completely abstract, true quantity is about as concrete and easy as it gets.

But I did not stop at six, or even ten, or even twenty. With just ten weeks of teaching (showing him "quantity cards" three times a day [which takes about ten seconds per session]) he was able to learn all the true quantities up to one hundred. This means that he can tell the difference between a card that has twenty nine dots and the card that has thirty dots, or the card that has ninety nine dots versus the one with one hundred dots. Hunter can perceive the number of dots instantly, no counting required. If you don't believe me, watch one of our videos. Seeing is believing.


But how on earth can he do this? It is a built in function of the human brain. The human brain can differentiate between twenty nine dots and thirty dots, instantly, without counting. Or ninety nine dots and one hundred dots. Instantly.

Then how come I can't do this? Because by the time a child reaches about two-and-a-half, the ability can no longer be activated, and that part of the brain is closed off forever. Remember, the eyes see but cannot understand what is seen: only the brain understands. The ears hear but cannot comprehend that which is heard: only the brain comprehends. So although you can physically see the dots with your eyes, your brain cannot comprehend what is seen. But a tiny child's brain can. Have you ever wondered why a 99-cent piece of plastic and wires we call a calculator can do better math than our amazing, complex brains? Now you know - our brains truly are more sophisticated than a calculator - we just simply have known, and have failed to activate our potential.

Dr. Glenn Doman discovered this incredible reality about little children while working with brain-injured children. As a result, he wrote the book How To Teach Your Baby Math which is the program we have been using (we started in August of 2007, when he was 29 months old [just under two-and-a-half]).

This is an incredible ability, but what does it have to do with mathematics? How does that make him a human calculator? Well, the answer is quite simple.

Once we had learned the numbers one through twenty, I began introducing him to addition. It was very simple: I sat him down and said, "Hunter, I'm going to teach you addition!"

I showed him the a card with one dot on it and said, "One," then quickly pulled out a two card, "plus two", then quickly pulled out a three card, "equals three!" I did not have to act out what was happening (for example, adding two marbles to one): I simply showed him the facts. The idea is that, by seeing the words "plus" and "equals" used in action, they will be learned just as "mine" and "yours" are learned: by seeing the words used in action.

And the result? Well, I showed him about seventy five or so different addition equations over the course of about two weeks (nine equations a day, split into three "sessions"). With no explanation, and simply showing him the facts of addition, he is now able to do absolutely any addition equation. Tell him an equation, he knows the answer, instantly. No rote memorization, no counting, no calculating: he sees the numbers. He sees what's happening. With the same ease you and I can "see" one plus two equals three, he can just as well "see" thirty two plus twenty seven (actually see the numbers coming together).

We did the same routine for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division: showed him the facts, and allowed him to figure out the rules and apply them to all numbers. Soon we will be moving onto the world of fractions, sequencing, algebra, geometry, and beyond. The world of mathematics is now his oyster.

And it is as easy as that.

And you see, because Hunter can literally "see" the numbers and perfectly understands and actually comprehends what is happening, he has, in essence, had a calculator installed into his brain: simply tell him an equation and he knows precisely what it is, instantly. He will never memorize his multiplication tables. He will never work through long division problems. He will not spend his first two years in school practicing and practicing and practicing the same addition and subtraction problems over and over and over again. He will never throw his hands up and moan, "I hate math! I can't do it!" He will never have to bring a calculator to the store to add up his grocery list. He knows math. He understands math. What a beautiful gift to give a child.

Now, after this story, you may be thinking that I am going to try and sell you some horridly expensive program that promises to give you the same results. But I am not. World's Best Education is a non-profit, pro-bono online organization dedicated to helping parents help their children, no strings attached. I would like to give every parent and child the wonderful opportunity to learn about the exciting world of mathematics, so I am making available to everyone the materials we used, which are, like I said, merely paper, 5,050 dots, and less than five minutes a day. All you need to teach your baby or toddler math (about three months to two and a half) is some 8x11" card stock and a printer with lots of blank ink. Or, you can use the computerized program that I have prepared. All these downloads and instructions are completely free. I'll take you through every step of the way, giving you an already made schedule of equations you can use, checkoff sheets to track your progress, and tips to help you guarantee fun and success. All this can be found at worldsbesteducation.org/teachyourbabymath.asxp, and takes less than five minutes a day.

Be encouraged, be inspired, and then go help your child discover his amazing potential.

For videos of Hunter and Anthony doing their mathematics, click here. (coming soon)

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Psalm 90:12