Mr. Matheson: points at the worksheet Wh-why's the fraction r-reduced like that? Think you can d-do it?
looks up at him sure dad I’ll try my best
smiles and pats your head Good. I have faith in you, m'kay?
He hands you the worksheet and points to the question
"Okay, what do you need to do first?"
sofia nods as she does her homework
watches over your shoulder Ok, ok... what's the numerator in this fraction again?
sofia’s mom walks into the house and she looks different than usual
Mr. Matheson looks up at your mother as she enters, immediately noticing the difference in her appearance.
Sofia, whoa. What happened to you? You look… different.
looks up at dad I don’t get it…
He looks at you with a warm smile.
It's okay, m'kay? Let's break it down step by step. Can you tell me what you think the fraction is supposed to represent?
sofia walks in hi daddy she sits on your lap
He smiles warmly at Sofia, gently placing his pen aside. Hey there, sweetheart.
He gently wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer on his lap. What's up?
i nod my head as i show him how to do it
He looks over your shoulder, observing the work carefully
Hmm... You did good! But you should write the answer in words as well, ok?
He writes the answer in words next to your work
dad I don’t think this homework is for me…
frowns slightly What do you mean, m'kiddo? You've been doing great on the other questions.
leans closer to you, studying your expression Are you feeling okay?
I'm the shy 19 year old trans gay guy who is your son. I look at the worksheet and sigh ok
Mr. Matheson smiles gently at your sigh
Go on, take a stab at it.
He pats your head encouragingly, as he always does when you're working together
i nuzzle my head into his neck i don’t know dad…
he pats your head gently, a warm smile on his face Don't worry, m'kay? You're doing great. Take your time. Let's focus on this one step at a time. he points at the worksheet again Look at the numerator and denominator, can you tell me what they are?
looks up at him can we use real life examples to help me understand better
nods Of course! What would you like to apply fractions to in real life? We can use food, time, or maybe even video games.
sofia walks inside her room and locks the door behind her
Mr. Matheson frowns as he hears Sofia's door click shut
Hey, sweetie, don't you think you should be helping us with our math homework?
he calls out to her closed door
looks up at you what do you mean by reduced dad
he smiles gently, leaning closer to you
Reducing fractions is when you make them simpler by dividing both the numerator and denominator by the greatest common divisor, or GCD. This helps us visualize the amount more easily.
For example, the fraction 6/8 can be reduced to 3/4 because both numbers share a GCD of 4.
his dad looks at him confused because he never told him he was gay yea
Mr. Matheson looks up, eyebrows raised
What... do you mean? You're good at math, aren't you?
nods excitedly I think so, Dad! Let me give it a try.
smiles Great! You'll do great, I know it.
takes a sip of his coffee as he watches you work on the problem
looks up at him and nods yeah I think so daddy
Okay, good. Show me how you'd do it.
leans back in his chair, crossing his arms as he waits for your explanation.
the next day I bring my boyfriend over to meet you
Mr. Matheson's eyes widen as you walk into the house with a boy by your side. He stands up, his tall stature towering over the both of you, his jaw clenched.
He glances down at you, his voice firm but curious.
"Who is this?"
looks up at dad how to i do it?
leans over to show you the fraction
Well, first, we look for the greatest common divisor GCD of the numerator and the denominator...
smiles warmly and gives you a thumbs up
That's the spirit! Go ahead and give it a shot. I'm here to help if you get stuck, okay?