Incompetence

Help Support CattleToday:

farmerjan said:
The ones that have come up with this "new math" which is so totally stupid, are the ones that are helping to put this country so deep in debt we will suffocate.... oh wait, we are already past the point of suffocating....
Seriously, this new math crap is so convoluted that it is a wonder the kids get any of it...
Click to expand...
I know what you mean by new math. About 5 or 6 years ago (I have 2 BS degrees and a Master's degree) one of my friends daughters, who is in 2nd or 3rd grade, asks me to help her with her math. After trying to figure out the system they were using for about 20 minutes, her older sister, by 2 years, comes and rescues me.

Nuff said.
 
After running a C store for 16 yrs I can say with confidence that kids math skills are getting worse every yr. When we sold this yr I was amazed at what young kids with sharp minds don't know. I'll also say there's a big difference in waiting in line and taking 30-60 seconds to plan out your move at the register and waiting on people all day long and having someone catch you off guard with even a slightly odd transaction. It's almost like you walk up and down a set of steps 50 times one day and suddenly the second step is gone. Your not an idiot but it will catch you off guard.

One of the things that I'll probably never forget is when the clock on the wall by the register finally broke. Nobody said anything for weeks. I got a new one and installed it. Our manager says she's not sure why I did that because none of the employees could read it. I stared at her for a second and said well the customers can. She just stared back with a sideways smirk. I finally said I can read it and like it being there. Surely people can still read a clock? Our manager was probably 28 yo at the time.
 
Believe it or not, but sadly your manager was mostly right. If it is not digital, with the actual numbers in front of them, many cannot read a clock. The dumbing down of the youth... and the best way to take over the country... baby steps at a time... no thinking for themselves or having to even know basics anymore.
 
I say we can't put all this on the kids. We as parents have failed them. It is our responsibility to teach them, but we have become lazy. They have been raised on Xbox's and such. We have given our responsibility to the government; the government does not want free thinkers. Want better kids, we must get involved.
 
CowboyRam said:
I say we can't put all this on the kids. We as parents have failed them. It is our responsibility to teach them, but we have become lazy. They have been raised on Xbox's and such. We have given our responsibility to the government; the government does not want free thinkers. Want better kids, we must get involved.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but the states require they either attend public or private schools or be home schooled. Home school is still a low % of the students, mean a very high % of kids are subject to how and what the state requires in curriculum. We can't really try to teach them the old way at home while they are being taught 'new math' at a school the state requires them to attend. We CAN tho, teach them to read a clock that has hands on it and teach them to count change and manage money.

Many in my own generation were taught how to earn money but parents were a bit lax on teaching how to save/manage finances.
 
CowboyRam said:
I say we can't put all this on the kids. We as parents have failed them. It is our responsibility to teach them, but we have become lazy. They have been raised on Xbox's and such. We have given our responsibility to the government; the government does not want free thinkers. Want better kids, we must get involved.
Click to expand...
My oldest is now 40 and my youngest 35 . My kids never owned a video game , Xbox or anything like that . Their friends use to make fun of them because they didn't know how to use them . They did have a Tetris. I think I played with it more than them . 😁
 
Brute 23 said:
I always get a kick out of these conversations when older people down the younger generations. That's your legacy. You built their society and education system. They are your kids and grandkids. 🤣
Click to expand...
Did they (state) not have a requirement for you to attend school when you were a kid?

I know they did when I was growing up in the 50s-60s.
Someone before the current and previous gen built that requirement.
(My own kids learned "old math" because 'new math' didn't exist yet.)
 
The time for action was forty years ago. You should have been in the school board meetings, parent teacher conferences and principals office controlling what "they" were changing and teaching your kids. Alas, we are all too busy or it's not my kids or not my job. But weren't we so happy in the 80's and 90' pasting the "My kid is on the Honor Roll" stickers on our cars. And I guess that's more than enough from me. Sorry.
 
greybeard said:
Did they (state) not have a requirement for you to attend school when you were a kid?

I know they did when I was growing up in the 50s-60s.
Someone before the current and previous gen built that requirement.
(My own kids learned "old math" because 'new math' didn't exist yet.)
Click to expand...
If I understand your question, yes. We were required to attend school in some form or fashion.

The "new" math is just "new" to us. I didn't learn that way in school. I had to learn it to help my son. Yes, they over complicate it. Yes, they drag it out longer than it should be. I was in a math competition deal though and we touched on the "new" math for speed.

All they want you to do is let's say you have 97-14. They taught me to put the 97 on top and 14 on bottom and picture it in my head. Bring the 3 down and then bring the 8 down. The "new" math just says 6 to 20, 70 to 90, 7 to 97.... 6+70+7... 83... or 80 to 94... 3 to 97... 80+3... 83 ... which is actually faster in a lot of cases.
 
Brute 23 said:
I always get a kick out of these conversations when older people down the younger generations. That's your legacy. You built their society and education system. They are your kids and grandkids. 🤣
Click to expand...
There were a couple of things that happened as society evolved, and I admit they sounded pretty good at the time but haven't panned out so well. I don't know how teachers can educate students now due to the lack of discipline and parental support. I know a lot of the parents of kids when my own were going to school would expect good grades... from the teacher ... instead of their kids, and would get downright hostile with the teacher instead of expecting their kid to straighten up... and the teachers caved in and let it happen instead of sticking to their guns. It got pretty weird when kids couldn't be disciplined. I've seen kids go off on teachers with foul language you wouldn't believe... and the teacher just turns around and walks away. And the whole "self esteem" thing really got out of hand with participation awards, damaging both the kids that excelled and should have been recognized for it and also the kids that did crappy work and still got recognized for a lack of effort or excellence. We got caught up in some pretty bizarre things... sold by psychologists that probably raised rotten kids after they got the schools to follow their ideas. But by then it was popular opinion that those ideals were better than what had been successful before.
 
Brute 23 said:
If I understand your question, yes. We were required to attend school in some form or fashion.

The "new" math is just "new" to us. I didn't learn that way in school. I had to learn it to help my son. Yes, they over complicate it. Yes, they drag it out longer than it should be. I was in a math competition deal though and we touched on the "new" math for speed.

All they want you to do is let's say you have 97-14. They taught me to put the 97 on top and 14 on bottom and picture it in my head. Bring the 3 down and then bring the 8 down. The "new" math just says 6 to 20, 70 to 90, 7 to 97.... 6+70+7... 83... or 80 to 94... 3 to 97... 80+3... 83 ... which is actually faster in a lot of cases.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but I totally do not understand the "new math" that you did....
 
farmerjan said:
I'm sorry, but I totally do not understand the "new math" that you did....
Click to expand...
I learned it because in my job we use ft and inches for fluid measurement. If a tank had 4ft 6in in it yesterday and today it has 7ft 3in in it. How much fluid did you make?

It's easier to say 6" gives you 5ft. Then 2ft gives you 7ft. 3" gives you 7'3". 6" plus 2' plus 3" gives you 2'9". You made 2'9" of fluid.

OR,
4'6" to 5'6" (one ft) 5'6" to 6'6" (two ft) 6" to 7ft, 3" to 7'3". Add them up and it's 2ft 9in.

It make more sense like that, imo.
 
I blame the decline on parents working so much. I think it's why AG kids are generally more competent on a lot of things in general. They spend a lot of time side by side doing things with their parents that they didn't even realize were educational. Just having a garden or working on your car or what ever in the eving with your parents is huge. Parents just don't spend quality time with their kids like they use to. They may be there... but neither are as engaged as they should be, imo.

I also blame these kid-centric families. That's the tail wagging the dog, imo.
 
Brute 23 said:
If I understand your question, yes. We were required to attend school in some form or fashion.

The "new" math is just "new" to us. I didn't learn that way in school. I had to learn it to help my son. Yes, they over complicate it. Yes, they drag it out longer than it should be. I was in a math competition deal though and we touched on the "new" math for speed.

All they want you to do is let's say you have 97-14. They taught me to put the 97 on top and 14 on bottom and picture it in my head. Bring the 3 down and then bring the 8 down. The "new" math just says 6 to 20, 70 to 90, 7 to 97.... 6+70+7... 83... or 80 to 94... 3 to 97... 80+3... 83 ... which is actually faster in a lot of cases.
Click to expand...
This is how I would do 97-14 in my head 14-7=7, 97-7=90, and 90-7=83 Well if I didn't know 97-14 was 83 🤣

I would do 97+14 as 97+3=100, 3-14=11, and100+11=111. See super easy to do. 😉

I will agree that you and @CowboyRam are partially right on the kids and society being a product of the adults that raised them or formed the societal changes is correct. It's hard though when they are thrown so much junk their way that you honestly don't know about. All of this is an experiment and you don't know the result of an experiment until it's too late. I honestly think it's just the natural progression of things and there's not allot we can do about it. The whole moral decline of America is the biggest problem of having a FREE society. People can do and choose as they please no matter how good or bad, smart or dumb their decisions are.

I look at the Mexicans that we have out to do work or are friends with. 95% of first generation "New American Hispanics" are great hard hard working people. However, fortunately and unfortunately their kids don't have the same work ethic as their parents after just one generation of being born and raised here. They become Americanized like the rest of us....🤣🤣 It's honestly amazing to me how fast the change takes place.
 
Last edited:
Lucky said:
This is how I would do 97-14 in my head 14-7=7, 97-7=90, and 90-7=83 Well if I didn't know 97-14 was 83 🤣

I would do 97+14 as 97+3=100, 3-14=11, and100+11=111. See super easy to do. 😉

I will agree that you and @CowboyRam are partially right on the kids and society being a product of the adults that raised them or formed the societal changes is correct. It's hard though when they are thrown so much junk their way that you honestly don't know about. All of this is an experiment and you don't know the result of an experiment until it's too late. I honestly think it's just the natural progression of things and there's not allot we can do about it. The whole moral decline of America is the biggest problem of having a FREE society. People can do and choose as they please no matter how good or bad, smart or dumb their decisions are.

I look at the Mexicans that we have out to do work or are friends with. 95% of first generation "New American Hispanics" are great hard hard working people. However, fortunately and unfortunately their kids don't have the same work ethic as their parents after just one generation of being born and raised here. They become Americanized like the rest of us....🤣🤣 It's honestly amazing to me how fast the change takes place.
Click to expand...
You forgot to divide 111 by 1.337349397590361 to get the correct answer of 83
 

Latest posts

Top