Are Basic Numbers and Letters Even Taught in School Anymore?

[njpaddy]

Since moving from our house to apartment, we can't count the times we've had to track down lost packages from amazon, ups or fedex. The apartment entrances are all outside, and the numbers on the doors are 3" high. Yet, many delivery drivers today are too stupid to even read a simple 3 digit number.

Wife and I came home today from an overnight stay out of State to find 2 pizza boxes & paper bag in front of our apartment door, a $45 order delivered by some moron from grubhub. It was supposed to be delivered to apt 500. We're 300. We walk less than 100' to 500, put them down and knock on the door. The woman tells us this order was due yesterday. When they didn't get it, they requested a refund. While talking, we realize the boxes have ants, so I toss them in the dumpster. Back at our apartment, we see tons of ants around our doormat from the delivery. I'm glad we weren't gone a week or two Fortunately, having moved here from our house of almost 20 years, where I learned to do my own exterminating, I had cans of Cy-Kick. After treating my entrance, I asked and then treated my neighbor's.

 

[captp]

Don't even get me started on people who can't tell on an analog clock.

 

[FarmerTan]

Since moving from our house to apartment, we can't count the times we've had to track down lost packages from amazon, ups or fedex. The apartment entrances are all outside, and the numbers on the doors are 3" high. Yet, many delivery drivers today are too stupid to even read a simple 3 digit number.

Wife and I came home today from an overnight stay out of State to find 2 pizza boxes & paper bag in front of our apartment door, a $45 order delivered by some moron from grubhub. It was supposed to be delivered to apt 500. We're 300. We walk less than 100' to 500, put them down and knock on the door. The woman tells us this order was due yesterday. When they didn't get it, they requested a refund. While talking, we realize the boxes have ants, so I toss them in the dumpster. Back at our apartment, we see tons of ants around our doormat from the delivery. I'm glad we weren't gone a week or two Fortunately, having moved here from our house of almost 20 years, where I learned to do my own exterminating, I had cans of Cy-Kick. After treating my entrance, I asked and then treated my neighbor's.

Sorry my friend. But this is just another sign of the times. Societal Breakdown.

 

[luvmysuper]

At Fast Food Restaurant:

Me: I'd like a hamburger, a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of hamburger on it) - Do you want something to drink?
Me: (sighs) yes - a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of Large Coke on it) - Do you want fries with that?
Me: (wishing I had eaten somewhere else) - Yes.
Order taker: Do you want large or regular?
Me: (Dies a little more inside).

 

[Rhody]

I’m not sure we can blame the schools but probably …
5 or 3 ah what’s the difference …..
In my experience delivery should call and not just leave something like food unattended. Maybe consult apt management about this?

 

[Rhody]

At Fast Food Restaurant:

Me: I'd like a hamburger, a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of hamburger on it) - Do you want something to drink?
Me: (sighs) yes - a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of Large Coke on it) - Do you want fries with that?
Me: (wishing I had eaten somewhere else) - Yes.
Order taker: Do you want large or regular?
Me: (Dies a little more inside).

Is the next logical step of just having the customer push these buttons so bad?

 

[La Malice]

People that do not know how to read, write count is nothing new. 25 years ago, I had to redo all our operating procedure because folks could not figure out the difference between 0.1 kg, 0.100 kg and 100 g, yeah I know this is all the same but those folks read it however they could make sense of it, we could have expanded a lot of money and time to send them back to school so that they could figure this out, it was just easier and cheaper to have me figure out what is the one they understood and redo all our procedure to match their level, those were not out of school folks either but men in their 40 to late 50s .

When you spend time on what book not to read in school, you do not spend time reading book to start with

 

[Tirvine]

I like to write in my spidery cursive. It is like using a secret code only it cannot be cracked.

 

[luvmysuper]

Is the next logical step of just having the customer push these buttons so bad?

That's already being done. Many have self order kiosks.

 

[brucered]

At Fast Food Restaurant:

Me: I'd like a hamburger, a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of hamburger on it) - Do you want something to drink?
Me: (sighs) yes - a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of Large Coke on it) - Do you want fries with that?
Me: (wishing I had eaten somewhere else) - Yes.
Order taker: Do you want large or regular?
Me: (Dies a little more inside).

When your order comes to $8.25 and you hand them $10.25 to get bills back (or a Toonie in my case), take a look at their face.

They usually have no clue what to do or why you are handing them bills and coins.

 

[Rudy Vey]

When your order comes to $8.25 and you hand them $10.25 to get bills back (or a Toonie in my case), take a look at their face.

They usually have no clue what to do or why you are handing them bills and coins.

OH yes, this drives me crazy. I try to help the kid behind the counter so he does not run out of his coin change. They look at you like you are from a different star. "Oh sir, it is only 8.25, but you gave me more than 10...." - then I have to explain to them what they have to give me back - "just 2 bucks...", "but you gave me more"...eventually, about one out of three gets it..No wonder why so many pay with a CC for small amounts.

 

[bonjing]

Or you bill is $10.27 and you give them $11.02

Oh can’t forget about the time $11.00 total and I gave the cashier $21

 

[roboman]

At Fast Food Restaurant:

Me: I'd like a hamburger, a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of hamburger on it) - Do you want something to drink?
Me: (sighs) yes - a large coke, and a regular fries.
Order taker: (pushes button with picture of Large Coke on it) - Do you want fries with that?
Me: (wishing I had eaten somewhere else) - Yes.
Order taker: Do you want large or regular?
Me: (Dies a little more inside).

@luvmusuper - gotta give you credit for this post. It's an extremely good explanation of current times.

 

[rodrigaj]

I bought an analog blood pressure meter on ebay. I found a video for college level nursing students to see the correct way to use it. I was shocked to find that most of the video was taken up explaining how to read the little lines on the meter. I think I had learned this using thermometers by the 4th grade.

In a way I benefited by this. Very good analog BP meters can be had for very cheap - I paid about $8 for mine, german made and very high hospital grade quality. The company even sent me new ear plugs for free when I called them.

 

[FarmerTan]

Or you bill is $10.27 and you give them $11.02

Oh can’t forget about the time $11.00 total and I gave the cashier $21

This runs the very real risk of the cashier assuming that the the 20 was actually a 10. I know this from experience.

Beam me up Scotty. There's no intelligent life down here!

 

[czgunner]

Manual transmissions, clocks with hands, communication skills, basic math....all things that are now lost to history.

 

[FarmerTan]

Manual transmissions, clocks with hands, communication skills, basic math....all things that are now lost to history.

True enough. Amerika has risen to it's level of incompetence! Don't tell the boss, he ain't got anyone left to promote.

 

[La Malice]

Manual transmissions, clocks with hands, communication skills, basic math....all things that are now lost to history.

I have driven manual transmission my whole life until 3 years ago. I do not miss it at all, as a mater of fact driving one last summer for a few hundred miles was miserable. Yes a sport car with a manual is fun, an anemic carbureted 1l 4 banger not so much and with a busted ankle it is just pure torture in this city traffic. I did not shed a tear 2 weeks ago when the old girl was towed away.

Basic math, I'll never be able to thank my chemistry teacher in high school who forbid calculator. All the math was simple yet required basic ability to do multiplication, addition and substraction. I learned to actually really do math at 16. hopefully my daughter who struggle with math will get there too.

But be even more afraid, the era of covid brought laptop to all student in our school district which means pretty much no more hand written anything. How many of those kids will be able to write and read hand written document in the near future regardless of anything else ? Not that many and then there will be cursive. I am always amazed at how hard it is for me to read an early 20th century document in cursive and yet learned to write exclusively in cursive, that will be fun in 20 years from now.

 

[Wombat ESQ]

Your burger, YOUR way ...

''I'll have a ****** large combo WITH heavy mayo heavy ketchup heavy onion, coke NO ice''

a ******

''yes''

with

"h e a v y ... m a y o ........ k e t c h u p ... o n i o n ...''

coke

''NO ice''

If i don't say the full order in one go, the button is pressed and the order goes to the screen then i get what is a standard order, but by saying it all in one go , the peanut cant keep up.
10.10$ tendered 20.10$ ... look just input the freaking tendered amount the machine will tell you the change, dopey!

I might need act mute, and write the order on a paper and hand it to them, then again can they read?
I fell out of a few trees as a kid, maybe that's what is wrong with younguns today, not allowed climb trees?

 

[La Malice]

I might need act mute, and write the order on a paper and hand it to them, then again can they read?

Humm watch they might misunderstand that for a robbery you know in case they have like what $100 in the cash register, you might get more than what you bargain for.

I fell out of a few trees as a kid, maybe that's what is wrong with younguns today, not allowed climb trees?

How many broken bone ? I stopped counting after the second arm and elbow finger and busted ankle do not count those are just collateral damage, but then they dedicated a room in the ER with my name on it as a youngster, I was a celebrity in that place !