Slice. Turn. Slice. I can hear the sharp sound of that long metal blade so clearly in my mind, along with my school-teacher mother’s soft voice. “Watch your fingers. Take your time. Line it up to the gridlines so it will be straight.” She had brought home a sheet of laminated math flashcards that showed everything from fractions to multiplication and division on them. The answer to each problem could be found on the back. They were lined side by side, but linked together by the sheets of plastic and needed to be separated. At age six, I was too…

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