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I fear for the future of the republic...

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M

mikephillips

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So I go downstairs to the cafeteria today to get a drinkfor lunch, a $1.79.
Hand the girl a 10, and noticed that the register now notonly shows the amount
of change but actually showed pictures of a 5, 3 ones, 2dimes and a cent so they
knew what made up the $8.21 in change. So I guess this means knowing how to
count change is considered a nonessential skillanymore.

 
Just don't give them a tenner and four cents so you'll get two bits back,
Unless you enjoy watching their eyes glaze over.
 
If I give them extra change or bills I’ll then tell them how much change I expect. Sometimes it works and sometimes their eyes still glaze over.
 
I stopped one day at a gas station convenience store and got a cold drink and a bag of chips.
Handed the guy, who was probably early 20s a 10. he tapped the register and I hear "oops".
Asked what was up, he said he'd accidentally put in 20 instead of 10. My response was, no problem
you keep 10 of what pops up as change and it all evens out. He looked at me and said "no I have
to figure this out on my own, you might be trying to cheat me". So he gets out a pen, paper and
calculator and spends several minutes writing down and tapping in numbers. Comes up with nearly
10 in change. At that point I just took it since I tried to tell him and he wouldn't listen.
 
Worst part is, they probably all have a "high school education". That's why everyone throws such a fit over having to pass a test to graduate; they can't do it!
 
To avoid the awkward moment, my brick-mortar transactions are now by debit / credit cards; however, my wife still enjoys superior moments of an all cash transaction particularly when change is involve! GONZO
 
I did that at a store.The bill was something like $7.64.
I gave the kid at the register $10.14,to save getting a lot of change.
I thought the poor kid was going to have a nervous breakdown.
I finally told him to just give me the change,& forget the 14 cents.
When I started as a cashier at Safeway,we had to count the change
back aloud.
 
Did a cash buy at a burger house last week, Something like $4.07. Gave the counter kid a tenner and had no nickel, so a dime and two pennies. Flummoxed. Even with the feedback from the register. "Six dollars and a nickel, right?" yeesh.
 
I dont know if it is what they are teaching in school, or that everybody has devices at hand so they dont need to learn how to do numbers in their head, or lots more credit card or debit transactions where change isnt needed, or a combo of all, but yeah, counting change seems to be a lost art.

I worked at a movie theater in college, all cash transactions then, boom boom during movie rush on a busy night. I always have had fumbly fingers, I used to have a nimble mind, and I would do the numbers in my head to make sure tbey were right in the register.
 
I do think that they don't learn the concept - particularly when machines are so easy. (The analogy I suppose is modern cars - I turn the key and it starts)

Interestingly I was talking recently to a teacher and she had a large number of students who had come from refugee camps and they had not even learned number sequences - 1 2 3 4 5.

OTOH our current provincial government has has cut somewhere between 300 and 500 million in education - while promising a better education and no job cuts. (In actuality 3400 teaching jobs will be lost over the next four years) not wanting to violate Basil's rules but there just might be a connection between this and kids that can't make change.
 
JPSmit said:
I do think that they don't learn the concept - particularly when machines are so easy. (The analogy I suppose is modern cars - I turn the key and it starts)

Interestingly I was talking recently to a teacher and she had a large number of students who had come from refugee camps and they had not even learned number sequences - 1 2 3 4 5.

OTOH our current provincial government has has cut somewhere between 300 and 500 million in education - while promising a better education and no job cuts. (In actuality 3400 teaching jobs will be lost over the next four years) not wanting to violate Basil's rules but there just might be a connection between this and kids that can't make change.
Click to expand...

Might be.
 
Wondered if anyone remembers this:

math-games--1024x683.jpg

It's the way we learned numbers, counting, and basic math when I was a kid in Texas in the 1950s. I'm thinking that learning math on a touch screen isn't quite the same.

(That's the 1950s ... not 1850s ...)
:lol:
 
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They taught you to count in Indonesian in Texas ??
aEkJJWj.gif
 
I don’t remember remember er them in the late 1940’s when I was learning to count either.
 
Texas Instruments started the downfall with the mini calculator! What good is it sending your kids to school, they use computers for everything, why their their brains are getting smaller, don't need to think anymore! :concern: Actually, if done correctly, I believe home schooling is more effective and a safer environment! Some very smart people were home schooled! JMHO PJ
 
We used popsicle sticks!

(tongue depressors .... yeeesh)
 
Everything's bigger in Texas!

Let's just leave it at that.

:rolleye:

Back in my elementary school days, we couldn't buy popsicle sticks. We had to eat a *lot* of popsicles! My favorite: orange!
 
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