The Amish community here is starting a school for their children in September. I went over some of the textbooks they were using before they came here, and I found many pretty old books, some faded. They seemed a little dull to me, and the students I’m meeting seem very lively and curious.

To the Amish, old-fashioned is often just right, but I made a case for livelier books.

The parents seemed quite open to that.

At the moment, mathematics seems the most important subject for them. They receive regular religious instruction and teaching about Amish history and basic reading and writing.

They like the books they’ve used before and plan to use them.

Still, I volunteered to try an experiment: I’ll talk to math teachers and other educational authorities (I started to do that last week), and I’m proposing we start with some colorful, fun, but apparently successful math flashcards and games.

My experience with the Amish is that they are much more open to new experiments than people think. They just are thoughtful and careful about them, they don’t want to be overwhelmed by new things, as has happened to so many other cultures.

I’m not worried about presenting news ideas, just need to be thoughtful and about it and go slow, not traditional strengths of mine.

The children are playful and intensely curious, I suspect they’ll love the flashcards.

I showed the parents some flashcards, and they weren’t familiar with them but thought they were smart and exciting. I find this relatively new way of teaching math exciting, the presentation of the flashcards is innovative and smart.

The math teachers I had were all grim and joyless.

The old Amish texts are more like the ones I read in school, but I was a horrid math student, and I still can do long division or multiplication. Mr. Hauser cried to my mother when he learned I was being held back in algebra class and he would have to teach me again.

The books I’m trying out are highly rated by school officials and math teachers, but I want to be sensitive and make sure the parents are comfortable with them, they are bright and colorful, and some are presented as games.

They present math as fun, not as the onerous requirement I endured as a student.

But it’s complex. If the books come across as frivolous or irreverent, this won’t work.

The Amish are particular about their school books, as they have a right to be, and as always, the parents get the first, last, and final say.

(I need to ask people not to send math or other school books to me without touching base with me first. There are several special concerns and ideas within the Amish community, and the book that worked for you or your students may not apply.

Many good people send me boxes of books for the Mansion residents, but very few residents read conventional paper books due to sight, focus, and other problems.

Everyone is different, and the elderly favor their stories in visual form, big pictures and strong sound.

It’s always good to check with Julie or me, the Activities Director (11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816)

As regards the Math Initiative, there won’t be many students, at least initially, so we won’t need a lot of books. I want to proceed slowly, respectfully, and thoughtfully.

If the project works and we expand, I’ll have a clearer idea of what we could use and share. In the meantime, let’s see where this goes. I’ve talked to most of the parents already, so far so good. Thanks so much.

I’m zeroing in flashcards and some math games.

I’ll distribute a few today or tomorrow and see what feedback I get. I will, of course, share it. So far, I’ve spent about $125 on the flashcards and workbooks. If this works, we can take a look at other subjects and see if there is a need for some new ideas.

Education is very important to the Amish, even though it isn’t always like our idea of education. They seem open to the conversation.

More later.