Important skill or obsolete?

[Sgt Mickey]

I know my kids learned it but I don't think it was as big as when I went to school. I will say things like quarter to or quarter after and they all give me a blank stare. This is a constant battle I try to get them to read the clock in my car and they act like they have never seen a clock.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wow! Hah, I don't remember learning 'half past' I'm sure I did, but it's not really something people say now. I do remember learning quarter til

Again, my parents were "half past" people. We learned to say "(hour) thirty".

 

[Minnie_me]

It absolutely IS taught in schools. I hate how everybody is always jumping on that "WHY ISN'T THIS TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS?!??!" bandwagon.

But here is the problem. Children are taught clock skills in Kindergarten through probably 2nd grade. But if they don't have to use that skill outside of school, they are going to forget it.

Since most people have digital clocks, and kids aren't often required to know what time it is, they don't practice the skill. And they lose it.

My 8th grader struggles with telling time on a regular clock. Drives me batty.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

So do you know how to use a slide rule? Or to read a sun dial? Or use a rotary phone? Do you have turntable for your records? Do you use the Yellow Pages, or just look up companies on the Internet?

Happens in every generation. And the older generation decries it.

In our generations, it's just happening faster.

Yes

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

It absolutely IS taught in schools. I hate how everybody is always jumping on that "WHY ISN'T THIS TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS?!??!" bandwagon.

But here is the problem. Children are taught clock skills in Kindergarten through probably 2nd grade. But if they don't have to use that skill outside of school, they are going to forget it.

Since most people have digital clocks, and kids aren't often required to know what time it is, they don't practice the skill. And they lose it.

My 8th grader struggles with telling time on a regular clock. Drives me batty.

I agree. It is taught in schools but if you don't ever have to use it, you will lose it. One of the schools I work in is relatively new and there is a digital clock built into the wall in every room and several in the halls. Wherever you are in the school you are a couple of steps away from seeing a digital clock. Needless to say my two girls are terrible at telling time on a clock with hands,

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I work with lots of kids and MOST of them cannot read an analog clock. My dd can but she really needs to think about it every time.

Neither of my kids can read my cursive very well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It absolutely IS taught in schools. I hate how everybody is always jumping on that "WHY ISN'T THIS TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS?!??!" bandwagon.

But here is the problem. Children are taught clock skills in Kindergarten through probably 2nd grade. But if they don't have to use that skill outside of school, they are going to forget it.

Since most people have digital clocks, and kids aren't often required to know what time it is, they don't practice the skill. And they lose it.

My 8th grader struggles with telling time on a regular clock. Drives me batty.

Yes. I also think that although they teach in schools, they do have to move on to other important lessons, especially given the climate of today's mandated testing, etc. It really does fall on parents to both teach and reinforce at home, but like you and others say, unless it's a skill that's used regularly, retention will likely drop off, and at some point you have to say is this even worth it if it's something that's rarely or never used in society.

 

[mom2rtk]

Along a similar line of thinking, one of my daughter's friends goes to a neighboring district. When she was in grade school, they decided to abandon teaching cursive writing in their curriculum. Neither her mother nor I were fond or this decision.

The reason it was a bad policy decision was brought home for them earlier this year. Literally. The girl had surgery and was classified as a home bound student for some time. The school sent a tutor to their house every day. She brought work and instructions from each of the other teachers.......... and it was all written in .......... cursive. Oy vey.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I believe it.

My kids learned to read a clock in pre-k and since we have regular wall clocks in our house, they are proficient at it. Several of my DD14 friends who are here often, can't read the clocks.
We have some with regular numbers and one with roman numerals.

My kids only learned to sign their names and read cursive because I taught them. Unfortunately they haven't really learned to write cursive for thank you notes and letters.
I tried to teach them but they never caught on and they don't feel it's a necessary skill.

Very sad actually because I've always thought it was an important skill to have.

They also don't understand why I still have an old fashioned handwritten address book that I use to keep track of addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and birthdays. I find it much faster than dealing with putting all that info into a phone and/or computer that can and has broken down on me.

 

[Cindy B]

I teach 6th,7th and8th grade. I totally believe that time/clock skills are not being taught. Not in Common Core lists- so they don't bother.

That is the same as cursive writing as well. I do tend to Print on my classroom board because 1) I am left handed and my cursive is awful 2) I found that many students cant read cursive.

 

[alex9179]

My kids are in elementary and they are being/have been taught how to tell time and] cursive. We have both analog and digital, like a lot of households, but when we ask them the time they use the analog because it can be seen from a distance. It's a basic skill that I can't imagine someone not knowing how to do! I guess I'll start writing notes in cursive, too.

 

[Sandy51]

On the first day of school, I will have my 8th graders fill out an index card with their information. Some will not know their address. Some will know what street they live on, but not know their number address or the zip code.

I have also had 8th graders that could not read a clock.




Sandy

 

[msjprincess]

My kids are in 3rd 5th and 7th. They all leaned how to tell time in 1st or 2nd grade.

 

[meajuly5]

I have a second and fifth grader-- both are learning in school

 

[Mkrop]

Both of my kids learned how to tell time on an analog clock in K-2nd. DS16 is better at it than DS10 but they can both read them. But our whole house has digitial clocks.

They also both learn and use cursive.

This is Catholic school.

DS16 goes to a private Catholic high school that gets students from a wide range of schools both Catholic, public and private. Most of his public school friends can not read cursive. He no longer writes his notes in cursive bc they all share.

They all sat for the PSATs the other day, and he said there was a part to sign your name in cursive to prove it was your test, and many kids did not know what to do, the teachers were actually trying to help the kids and told many of them to do the best the could

DS16 commented on the lack of cursive last night when he was filling out forms for his new job, he said how to people do this, sign the form without knowing cursvie. I said I dont know

 

[sonnyjane]

They don't teach cursive?! Now, I know we don't really use it, but how are they going to learn to sign something?! Like write their signiture!?

I work in finance and see young adults every day that can NOT sign their names...especially their middle names for DMV work. Most either just print it or make the first letter and scribble the rest. It's quite sad!

There is no rule that your signature has to be cursive. It just has to be "your" signature. Mine is just a flamboyant print of my initials. My coworker's legal signature is a happy face and a lightning bolt. It's his legal signature on his license, marriage certificate, etc. Cursive, while a nice art, is not a relevant skill.

 

[aprilchem]

There is no rule that your signature has to be cursive. It just has to be "your" signature. Mine is just a flamboyant print of my initials. My coworker's legal signature is a happy face and a lightning bolt. It's his legal signature on his license, marriage certificate, etc. Cursive, while a nice art, is not a relevant skill.

It's relevant if you want to read anything written in cursive. I am a college professor and I'm starting to have a few students a year who don't know how to read cursive. They're at a disadvantage because they can't read the board, my notes on their papers, etc. I had a student a couple of weeks ago who missed an assignment because he didn't read what I wrote on the board.

 

[teller80]

My best friend teaches 10th graders. One of them asked her what time it was on Thursday. She pointed to the large clock above her head. The girl explained she doesn't know how to read a clock, she uses her cell phone. So my friend asked the whole class. Out of 27 students, 6 of them knew how to read the clock, all were taught by their parents. She gave a lesson on how to read a clock. And on Friday she got an earful form a parent saying no one needs to read a clock and its obsolete. This is an inner city school, most will not go to college ( 52% last year went to college). Not sure if the demographics matter or not.

What do you think? I was surprised as it never occurred to me that kids were not learning this skill. What if you are in another part of the country? Your cell phone dies? Is it really a necessity? I think everyone should know how, but maybe I am too old to judge.

What do you think?

I think the bolded bothers me more than the not knowing how to tell time. Ugh, how frustrating as a teacher!

 

[sonnyjane]

It's relevant if you want to read anything written in cursive. I am a college professor and I'm starting to have a few students a year who don't know how to read cursive. They're at a disadvantage because they can't read the board, my notes on their papers, etc. I had a student a couple of weeks ago who missed an assignment because he didn't read what I wrote on the board.

I see your point, but at what point does it become your fault for using an archaic style of writing as opposed to their fault for not being able to read it? I wouldn't write something down in runes and expect others to understand it.

 

[tvguy]

Guess Rolex better watch out since I don't think they even make digital watches. There goes the market for $100,000 watches.
And DW noticed when were at the car show 3 weeks ago that a lot of high end cars now come with analog clocks.