I like this amusing story from 1896 which appeared in a local newspaper. Andrew Gibson of Bowie’s Land, Blantyre told a story about his son.
The boy was at Stonefield School and that particular day was being taught fractions by his teacher. The lesson was, if you have an orange, and you are offered a sixth part or a seventh part, which would you take if given the choice?
The Gibson boy promptly replied he would take the seventh part. The teacher shook his head and explained that this was wrong, as a seventh in fractions actually means you would get less than a sixth part. “You got the wrong answer boy”, said the teacher.
“Naw, ah didnae, ah gave the right answer”, replied the boy defiantly.
“No!“, says the teacher, his voice rising in frustration. “You got it wrong. Why insist you’re correct?”
A long pause. The boy answers, “Well, ah dinnae like oranges.”
AI imagines the scene.
