I taught 5th grade for four years. Elementary school teachers are often organized so that they teach several different subjects to the class. In my school, there was some specialization. I taught several classes in arithmetic including arithmetic of fractions. I only got into elementary education because when I was ready to take classes in teaching, I was handed a sheet listing all the classes that were required. They made up a full load for both teacher-training years. I said to the person running the class,"I thought I would have some choices" and I was answered,"You want choices? Go into elementary."I did.
"My Left Foot" is a movie about a true story of an Irish boy with a good mind but cerebral palsy that allowed him to write and paint only with his left foot holding chalk or a paint brush. At an early point in the movie, one of the other children faces a homework question: "What is a quarter of a quarter?" The other children and the parents are unable to understand the question but the hero writes "1/16" on his blackboard.
Over time, I found that many adults don't have a need for fractions much or use them but having a good grasp of fractions turns out to be a handy tool for scientific concepts. In science and sports and other areas, having a firm foundation in fractions and percentages makes for confident use of the modern tool of probabilities.
