Do they still teach math?

[NutmegCT]

... Home schooling may be the answer.

Might be for some, but I'm betting the majority of parents don't want to spend the time. Written standards, and active community oversight of the curriculum might be a better alternative, but again, majority of parents don't want to spend the time.

Interesting about cursive. How do kids sign their name? How do kids read letters from their grand parents?

Today at CVS, a girl asked to get a flu shot. Clerk gave her a form to fill out, and said to sign the form when finished. Girl said "Can't I just print my name on the line?"

 

[Bayless]

that's an interesting question. How do you sign your name without cursive. I admit I gave up cursive years ago. As an early computer programmer where input was by punched cards and we had to submit written code for the keypunch operators to punch the cards, cursive was not practical. Besides, at least early Fortran required code to be in specific places on the card. But I can still sign my name. In fact I could do it if I really wanted to. Others may not be able to read it though. My grandfather would be disappointed. He was always proud of his beautiful handwriting.

 

[John Turney]

I have never quite understood the attachment to cursive - I'm old enough to have been forced through it and truthfully never used it even in school. I could understand having it be part of an art or history program but while rolling up hard on 60 years old, I still have yet to find an actual practical application for it. To execute text cleanly in cursive to me is HARDER than simple block letters.

I gave up cursive when I took drafting as a shop class. My problem now is that I can't read the wife's writing. (She sometimes can't read it either.)

 

[John Turney]

that's an interesting question. How do you sign your name without cursive. I admit I gave up cursive years ago. As an early computer programmer where input was by punched cards and we had to submit written code for the keypunch operators to punch the cards, cursive was not practical. Besides, at least early Fortran required code to be in specific places on the card. But I can still sign my name. In fact I could do it if I really wanted to. Others may not be able to read it though. My grandfather would be disappointed. He was always proud of his beautiful handwriting.

When I had to sign endless log forms in the Navy, I simplified my signature. I'm told often "I can't read your signature." It doesn't have to be readable, it has to be distinctive.

 

[LarryK]

Being a letter carrier, you would get certified mail with signature. I would knock on door and high school kid answers. I ask for signature and she said I don't know how to do a signature. Gave her the notice and checked must pickup at Post Office. Mom came in to get letter with chip on her shoulder. Complained we should have let daughter print her name. Postmaster told her she could not do that as it is a legal document and must have signature in black or blue ink and not pencil. Whew was she mad.

 

[NutmegCT]

Being a letter carrier, you would get certified mail with signature. I would knock on door and high school kid answers. I ask for signature and she said I don't know how to do a signature. Gave her the notice and checked must pickup at Post Office. Mom came in to get letter with chip on her shoulder. Complained we should have let daughter print her name. Postmaster told her she could not do that as it is a legal document and must have signature in black or blue ink and not pencil. Whew was she mad.

A high school student doesn't know how to sign a document. Now *that* is scary. And none of the school staff or parents thought about this?

yeesh

 

[DavidApp]

A long way from math.

My cursive is bad and has always been bad so I print when it is important that it can be understood. It may have been my way to hide my bad spelling. But if you can not read cursive so much is lost to you in historical records.
View attachment 62563My Aunt.

David

 

[DavidApp]

Using the Old school method the answer better be on the tip of your tongue. Along with 9 x 8, 7 x 5 and anything else the teacher through at you in a round the room test.

David

I have a problem helping my daughter with multiplication and division as they now use another new method from Japan that is called the box method. It takes her five minutes to multiple 12 by 10 because of the byzantine rules she must follow.

 

[waltesefalcon]

I'm actually the opposite, for me printing without it looking like chicken scratch is difficult, whereas cursive comes naturally.