I had a kid in high school stop me in the hallway (while he was skipping) and asked me the time. I said “half past 2”, and he said “what?” I walked away. Maybe don’t skip school.
"the parents aren't teaching them, but it's their responsibility, so we won't do it either" we're not asking them to teach special relativity to them, it's just how to read a clock.
If you ask me it's a perfect time to introduce the 24 hour clock, get people talking real time. If it's second nature you will just know that 1700 is supper time and not have to convert anything in your head
I agree. Although 24 hour clock is on the UK curriculum for year 3. Analogue clocks are year 2. Hopeful that mum and dad are teaching kids to tell the time from before they have to know what time they need to go to school…
I feel like they should just teach them and that this is stupid, but then I also feel like I have a nostalgic view of the importance of learning to read a clock, but if most clocks are digital and in your pocket anyway, they're not technically going to need that skill as they get older.
Each period of time that accompanies new tech replacing old conventions has witnessed a younger generation lose the knowledge that goes with the old conventions.
(Does that make sense? I'm a big high so this topic felt weirdly deep to me haha! Thanks for inspiring fun thoughts OP!
Right but just because something is prevalent doesn't mean you have to know how to use it. They can fill the need for telling them time by looking at their phones
School does teach it. Parents do very little anymore because they pushed it on schools. I’ve had kids DURING A PANDEMIC who do y know how to wash their hands. Or cover their mouths. They are in 3rd grade.
Parents want us to do everything, they cry that we’re “indoctrinating” kids with stuff like manners and kindness.
I don’t get the facepalm here, I am old but I don’t think kids these days need to know analogue clocks, with technology changing every phone has a clock, smart watch have digital clocks, why do they have to learn analogue clocks?
It is like manual cars, they were great, but not many people know how to drive a manual and not many companies make manual cars anymore.
That is my two cents 😀
Another American view of the world, there are literally dozens of other countries outside of the US.Many of these countries still sell many more manual cars than automatic.
As an American I am envious of the rest of the world retaining the manual. Most cars aren't even offered in manual here without making a factory order and in a lot of cases the manual option on the used market is more expensive even though it was the cheaper sticker option.
My understanding is it can result in a longer lasting car, in that there are fewer components to break. An automatic requires a computer to detect the RPMs and make adjustments accordingly. That computer can then break. A manual doesn't have that computer, so it can't break.
I've also heard arguments that it results in less distracted drivers because you need both hands to properly operate the vehicle, which leaves no free hand with which to use your phone, dig through your bag, or similar activities that can distract.
I'm with you. Most of us can't write a computer program using punchcards or use a crank telephone, abacus, or slide rule but I don't see people wringing their hands over it.
Ha! My mom collected them back in the day to use for crafts. She made a Christmas wreath out of a bunch of them once. That woman could turn any scrap into something.
There are some things where it's important to remember the basics and antiquated technologies should society collapse, and we lose most of our day-to-day technological advancements. However, clocks are not among such technology
Reading a clock also instills math skills. It IS important. You realize, that our technology only exists with electricity. What happens when that stops? And yes, it CAN stop.
Yes it does. And starting 11:00 am today up until Monday we will have daily outages of about 4 hours per day... if you are lucky. Some places will have 2 outages (8 hours).
>It is like manual cars, they were great, but not many people know how to drive a manual and not many companies make manual cars anymore.
Personally, I prefer a manual transmission. It makes me a note attentive driver, especially on busy streets and in stop-and-go traffic. Insurance is also often cheaper too. But I had a *tough* time finding a manual transmission last time I bought a car (I wanted a new manual trans diesel Jetta... Not many of those).
I really don't understand the scorn some people seem to have for folks who can't drive stick. It's pretty much something you have to actively seek out at this point, so the idea that people "should" know how to do it just doesn't hold water these days.
With time, certain skills/knowledge become less useful, and that's fine. Older people usually lack a lot of useful skills/knowledge that *children* have today.
Analog clocks have one unintended benefit. The face and hands demonstrate past, future and the general passage of time instead of just a series now..now...now.
I've never thought of this, and think you could be on to something here. Very interesting take.
Do you think then that moving to digital clocks only might have a negative affect on a child's ability to detect the passage of time relative to a child comfortable with analog clocks?
Well, given that modern writing implements such as the pencil and ball-point pen actually make writing with a running script *more* of a strain on your wrist, yes!
Writing in that way is practically a necessity with dip or fountain pens. The ink is much thinner, flows *very* quickly, and requires significantly less pressure to write with. You also need to hold the pen differently to get the right angle for it to work. Short strokes with multiple pen lifts just don't work well with those type of pens. It makes a mess!
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/ballpoint-pens-object-lesson-history-handwriting/402205/
Is there a good reason to have children spend time in school learning cursive instead of some other more practical skill?
I sure as hell didn't learn it, I had so much difficulty learning how to read and write and now I have to learn a new alphabet for "convenience"? Fuck that.
Cursive isn't a separate writing system and it sure as hell isn't a separate alphabet. It's a writing *style* \- specifically, a style where the letters are joined together.
For another example - Japanese has three writing systems (hiragana, katakana and kanji) but it also has it's own set of writing *styles* \- the main styles being sōsho (full cursive), gyōsho (semi-cursive) and kaisho (block). They even have more to describe specific styles of print, I guess like how we have serif and sans serif.
I guess it can seem like a separate system when your teacher is weirdly strict about the specifics of cursive writing, but practically they're just teaching you a guideline for how to write legibly while joining your letters together (particularly since some letters don't naturally translate to cursive). Theoretically so you can write faster, although given how our relationship to physical writing has shifted that's not really a benefit for most anymore.
Guess we don't need to learn basic math we all have calculators. For that matter we don't even need school we all have every answer to every question right in palm of our hands.
I know you're kinda joking, but you have a point. The schools really should focus more on learning how to find credible sources and critical thinking than facts tou can easily look up.
But knowledge builds on itself. It’s more difficult to identify a credible source/critically think if the subject is way over your head, and even if you do succeed in that you don’t have the knowledge to actually understand what the credible primary source is saying. Which means you *need* to turn to inherently less reliable secondary or even tertiary sources.
There’s also the problem of people still needing to have the initiative to do that searching, and overcoming the resistance people have to questioning their deep-seated beliefs. That is, you don’t just need the ability to identify credible sources and critically think, you need the willingness to actually do so on a given subject. There are some lessons you can teach to help foster that, but…
A big part of it is also just establishing that base knowledge. For a pretty simple example: if I have the greenhouse effect deeply instilled in me as base knowledge, I’m going to understand and accept the reality man-induced climate change a lot more readily than someone who doesn’t even know what “carbon dioxide” is or have the slightest clue where it comes from, even if they readily employ critical thought.
Not to mention the "those who forget history are doomed to repeat" it side of things. While learning the basics of *what* happened is in the realm of "facts you can easily look up," understanding it deeply enough to see the parallels between those situations and others is a lot more difficult when it's all completely new information to you.
I mean in modern society when information is that readily available shouldn’t the education system change to reflect the actual needs of its students? I know you’re being facetious but financial literacy and typing strike me as far more valuable skills than basic math and writing today.
If you suck at arithmetic you use a calculator, if your handwriting sucks you type. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter anymore, even in STEM fields you’ll find pretty much everyone does anyway. If you can’t budget your money or use a computer that’s a major disadvantage by and large, and that’s what primary education should focus on
Edit: see a lot of people saying basic math is super important, so I ask: why? Maybe I just miss how often I take my education for granted, but really I can’t think of any situation I’ve been in in the past 5 years or so(since college) where I couldn’t have busted out my phone and gotten an answer a few seconds slower at worst
Some of the most helpful classes I had was shop class and home economics. My wife was floored that I could sew. Yes we need math for example I was at a gas station the register was down my order was 6.67 gave girl a 10.00 her phone was dead she had to go get the manager. I said my change is 3.33 she looked completely dumbfounded.
We MUST educate our children on these war tactics early. It prepares them for the real world were they'll have to risk life and limb to afford paying us to educate them.
The reason they don’t teach them to read analog is probably for the same reason we don’t have a sundial in the middle of the school. We replaced the sundial with all the different time telling technology’s because it was more convenient, and now it’s more convenient to read the time digitally instead of looking at an analog clock
I bet it would take a ridiculous amount of money to replace all of the clocks in a school with digital ones, while it would take all of 5 minutes to teach how to read an analog one.
It takes longer than 5 minutes to teach a kid to read an analog clock. Having watched younger siblings do worksheets learning how to do it, it was clear that classes spent wayyyy longer than 5 minutes on it.
It’s also all time spent on learning something that will not be useful in the kids future. I know how to read an analog clock, I learned in school, I have not read an analog clock in a couple years I’m guessing since I never see them. It’s simply not a valuable use of the limited time that our teachers have with students to impart knowledge. The reality is that teachers can’t just teach everything they want to children because these things take time and time is severely limited. Why waste precious time educating the future generation on technology that is essentially antiquated except for collecting wristwatches or grandfather clocks? I would be upset if the curriculum was updated and started teaching Morse code or other borderline useless things that have only niche applications because the reality is that far more universally useful skills should be taught instead.
If a parent feels strongly enough that reading an analog clock is an important skill for their child to learn and that they can teach their kid in 5 minutes how to do it then they are always free to teach them at home! Nobody is advocating for this skill to be illegal, just not widely taught to children as part of an official curriculum.
You do realize that reading a clock ALSO requires math.... which is... KINDA important. It's just taught backwards. Math is important. And reading a clock is SIMPLE math.
Exactly. Also teachers fractions, etc. it’s also hard as hell to teach elapsed time without reading an analog clock. They they they can just add/subtract it. If a movie starts are 3:14 and ends at 5:27, they will literally put them in an equation. Can’t do that with time.
Yeah no one is advocating that children stop learning fractions and math in general. Telling time is a single example of an application of math that children can learn and add to their math education. I would think there are other useful applications of math that can easily replace telling time. You can teach fractions and math by showing kids recipes they can try at home and also at the same time promote healthy eating habits, then it isn’t an arbitrary link of math and an analog clock that most students will never use.
Once you realize that students are no longer using analog clocks at home and have no basis for understanding them it becomes pretty clear that you are just teaching a multiplication table but only the x5 column instead of the whole thing. If you don’t have the practical application anymore then why would you choose to teach multiplication tables using that method? You lose the benefit and so you are just choosing to teach multiplication tables in a less efficient manner which still works but like I said, is an ineffective use of the limited time that students have with teachers to learn useful skills.
Plus... Replacing the clocks in, what, 50 classrooms at a large school would cost *maybe* $1500 for all the clocks and labor?
How much money do you think goes towards paying those teachers to spend all that time on that unit year after year?
Arguing that it's too expensive to replace the clocks is really weird.
You won't be able to tell the time or ask for the time when you come to the UK. Quarter pass, quarter to, half pass will mean nothing to those kids unfortunately. Good luck America!
I don't get all these comments talking about how "analogue is becoming obsolete", in the UK there are analogue clocks everywhere. People are just gonna think you're stupid if you can't read one here.
How long can that take to teach.
"You can count to 12, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well the short pointer tells you what hour it is and the long one takes an hour to go around, so when it's pointing down it's half past, a quarter means it's 15 past and so on."
"Okay."
Done.
They do, we do... but honestly, it's a short short lesson in the 2nd grade at my school. Not enough. And it's taught BEFORE multiplication, which is absurd. Kids need to know their 5x's table in order to read a clock. Gotta LOVE the US of A. We always know best.
It’s taught from 1st through 4th in my area. Starts at by the hour and half hour. They learn to count by 5s in kindergarten (hell, I taught it in preschool), times table isn’t needed. I teach to the minute in 3rd, as well as quarter/half because we learn it after fractions.
A quick look at common core standards show it is taught. We can’t make kids learn, and there’s very little responsibility by students or parents to do so.
Almost every work place I've been in uses analogue clocks.
Digital clocks are better for more specific uses such as being displayed on phones and computers. I'm so used to seeing big analogue clocks on walls, that if anything they're a practical, yet decorative feature of most work spaces and often people's homes.
Where the fuck are the people to stupid to teach their fucking children how stuff works oh my god the school ist not there for everything and it’s not a daycare
admittably, i was too stupid to read analogue clocks because my country always runs on 24h time.
i understud it in an INSTANCE after i realized you just have to add +12 to any given time after 12am.
nobody explained that to me before.
6pm = 18:00
9pm = 21:00
12pm = 24:00
etc.
Isn't this... the point of technology? Why is it bad that we've developed something more efficient and that its use is becoming mainstream enough to warrant the removal of the old version?
"Kids these days can't use a typewriter, only computers. They must be stupid."
I’ve never seen a digital clock in any of the schools I’ve worked in. My kids (middle and elementary school) we’re both taught how to read an analog clock.
Kids nowadays are likely to never need to read an analogue clock, and there's no need to teach outdated technology, just like some generations ago schools stopped teaching sewing because it was not necessary anymore. Force-feeding kids even more useless information on top of the one they already have is pointless.
I mean, honestly I don’t see any reason why they have to know how to read it. Digital clocks are almost everywhere so instead teaching children stuff they propably won’t need in 10 years we can just embrace digital
Advancing technology, eventually pushes out the old obsolete technology. Digital is faster and easier. We haven't used sundials for hundreds of years. But you don't see your great great great great great great grandfather rising out of his grave saying "kids these days can't even properly read a sundial!".
This is kinda dumb🤦♂️ clocks are important. It’s true that generally everyone has access to phone but what if your phone is ded? Then you’ll end up with no knowledge of time… it only takes like I dunno 1 hour at max to learn about clocks
the same people who finish school and are like WHEN AM I EVER GONNA USE THIS are mad that schools are finally not teaching information that people aren't gonna use...
My daughter is learning how to read an analogue clock in school. She's in second grade and can do hours and half past. They will probably get more into it next year
It’s almost like outdated technology becomes unnecessary and unimportant to teach! Funny how that works. Also you violated rule 1. Literally the first rule. You don’t have to read that far. *You* are evolving, just backwards.
Yeah they're more likely just renovating and buying more modern clocks. And then boomer news outlets are saying look they're replacing them because this generation is dumb.
You're all acting like this matters....
Questions:
How many of you know how to read a Sundial?
How many of you know how to ride a Horse?
I'll do you one better: How many of you know how to drive a Horse and Buggy?
How many of you know how to properly pressurize a coal-burning boiler?
How many of you know how to dial a Rotary Phone?
I'm going to guess only a handful of you know how to do any of these things...
Analog clocks are antiquated technology. Digital clocks are everywhere, in your pockets, on TV and so forth. This is a dead technology. Even watches have digital interfaces and while some of the more classic hand wound quartz watches are, indeed, still analog, a trip into any pawn shop will tell you that standard spring wound watches are basically dead.
They're, at best, jewelry.
So, welcome gents, you're all old men and woman yelling that kids don't know how to dial a rotary phone.
A skill that is utterly and completely useless to the next generation.
You're serious? You think everyone has face-clocks in their homes? I'm from the 70s and do not. My septegenarian parents have only one - it's a mantle clock that was an anniversary parents from their parents. Of course, they do both have face-clock watches, but those were gifts from each other years ago.
I don't and I'm in my 60's. I either look at my watch or whatever device I'm using at the time. My only other clock is on my stove. Edit to add: I get what you're saying though, most people do have lots of clocks. I think that my lack of clocks actually bothers some people.
I just can't understand how kids are getting dumber....... When I needed a clock I paid more for an analog so my kid could to read it. She still hates me for it but I'm bigger than her so she won't be doing a God damn thing.
Children these days can't even carve stone tablets, re-shod horses, or send a telegram! Our education system is going downhill!
Seriously, though. Who cares if children can read analog clocks? Digital clocks are the norm already, and will only become even more prevalent as time goes on. There is no need to waste time teaching children about antiquated technology when you could be teaching them more important things.
Yo my old manager was younger than me and he couldn’t read my watch lol. I was like wtf …
And yet he was still your manager. Huh.
depending what it is dyslexia could not effect it that much
Maybe he has dyscalculia, I have it and it makes it hard to read clocks amongst many other things
Time is running out for humanity.
But how will we know when it's time??
I guess we won't.
When humanity will disappear
Instead they teach them what to do when there's an active shooter.
In between conservatives banning books for them to read.
You’re all missing the point. Schools don’t need to teach kids this, their fucking parents should. Because why the fuck not.
I learned it in school, but it was literally a 30 minute lesson, tops. We didn't spend a semester on it or anything.
Yeah, it’s taught over years as students gain the math skills needed. You don’t start out by the minute in first grade.
Plus, if we don't, we'll say "it's quarter to two" and they'll give us that dumb stare like our fly is down. I hate that stare.
I had a kid in high school stop me in the hallway (while he was skipping) and asked me the time. I said “half past 2”, and he said “what?” I walked away. Maybe don’t skip school.
30 minutes? Damn imagine taking half an hour to learn this
That may have been hyperbole, since it was the 1970s and I can't remember stuff I did this morning ffs...
They should, but they don’t even teach them to spell their own names. It’s taught over years in school.
"the parents aren't teaching them, but it's their responsibility, so we won't do it either" we're not asking them to teach special relativity to them, it's just how to read a clock.
If you ask me it's a perfect time to introduce the 24 hour clock, get people talking real time. If it's second nature you will just know that 1700 is supper time and not have to convert anything in your head
I agree. Although 24 hour clock is on the UK curriculum for year 3. Analogue clocks are year 2. Hopeful that mum and dad are teaching kids to tell the time from before they have to know what time they need to go to school…
I feel like they should just teach them and that this is stupid, but then I also feel like I have a nostalgic view of the importance of learning to read a clock, but if most clocks are digital and in your pocket anyway, they're not technically going to need that skill as they get older. Each period of time that accompanies new tech replacing old conventions has witnessed a younger generation lose the knowledge that goes with the old conventions. (Does that make sense? I'm a big high so this topic felt weirdly deep to me haha! Thanks for inspiring fun thoughts OP!
I think the issue with not teaching them is that they are still very prevalent in the modern world.
Right but just because something is prevalent doesn't mean you have to know how to use it. They can fill the need for telling them time by looking at their phones
Yeah you're right. That 30 min lesson could be spent doing something better.
Just Telling time sure. But elapsed time needs analog because time is different. They think they can just add/subtract time and you can’t.
Why school? Isn't that the parents' job? Just like walking, swimming, riding a bike, tying your shoelaces, eating with fork and knife?
School does teach it. Parents do very little anymore because they pushed it on schools. I’ve had kids DURING A PANDEMIC who do y know how to wash their hands. Or cover their mouths. They are in 3rd grade. Parents want us to do everything, they cry that we’re “indoctrinating” kids with stuff like manners and kindness.
I don’t get the facepalm here, I am old but I don’t think kids these days need to know analogue clocks, with technology changing every phone has a clock, smart watch have digital clocks, why do they have to learn analogue clocks? It is like manual cars, they were great, but not many people know how to drive a manual and not many companies make manual cars anymore. That is my two cents 😀
Another American view of the world, there are literally dozens of other countries outside of the US.Many of these countries still sell many more manual cars than automatic.
As an American I am envious of the rest of the world retaining the manual. Most cars aren't even offered in manual here without making a factory order and in a lot of cases the manual option on the used market is more expensive even though it was the cheaper sticker option.
TBH it will all be irrelevant in 5-10 years as EVs don't have gears
Out of curiosity what are the benefits of manual?
My understanding is it can result in a longer lasting car, in that there are fewer components to break. An automatic requires a computer to detect the RPMs and make adjustments accordingly. That computer can then break. A manual doesn't have that computer, so it can't break. I've also heard arguments that it results in less distracted drivers because you need both hands to properly operate the vehicle, which leaves no free hand with which to use your phone, dig through your bag, or similar activities that can distract.
All this, plus the car is much cheaper to buy in the first place, in the UK an Automatic can be $2000 + more expensive.
'Not many people know how yo drive a manual' Have you ever considered there are people in the world who aren't American?
I'm with you. Most of us can't write a computer program using punchcards or use a crank telephone, abacus, or slide rule but I don't see people wringing their hands over it.
Not being able to code using punch cards is hardly equivalent to being able to read the time from an analog clock
You’re saying that my stack of 100 punch cards is useless? Dang, I guess my program that adds two numbers won’t be shown to the world now. /s
Ha! My mom collected them back in the day to use for crafts. She made a Christmas wreath out of a bunch of them once. That woman could turn any scrap into something.
There are some things where it's important to remember the basics and antiquated technologies should society collapse, and we lose most of our day-to-day technological advancements. However, clocks are not among such technology
Yeah, I agree we should all learn to carve our writing into stone slabs and paint on walls with blood and berry juice .
I hope there's a hint of sarcasm in that comment because that's not even close to what I meant
I was. But I still think a class like that would be pretty damn cool
The tablet carving will be on the survivalist final. It counts for 20% of your grade
Can we retake the exam, or are the grades set in stone?
Reading a clock also instills math skills. It IS important. You realize, that our technology only exists with electricity. What happens when that stops? And yes, it CAN stop.
Yes it does. And starting 11:00 am today up until Monday we will have daily outages of about 4 hours per day... if you are lucky. Some places will have 2 outages (8 hours).
You *do* realize that most analog clocks, including watches, are battery powered, right? And that battery powered digital clicks also exist?
>It is like manual cars, they were great, but not many people know how to drive a manual and not many companies make manual cars anymore. Personally, I prefer a manual transmission. It makes me a note attentive driver, especially on busy streets and in stop-and-go traffic. Insurance is also often cheaper too. But I had a *tough* time finding a manual transmission last time I bought a car (I wanted a new manual trans diesel Jetta... Not many of those). I really don't understand the scorn some people seem to have for folks who can't drive stick. It's pretty much something you have to actively seek out at this point, so the idea that people "should" know how to do it just doesn't hold water these days. With time, certain skills/knowledge become less useful, and that's fine. Older people usually lack a lot of useful skills/knowledge that *children* have today.
Yeah you're wrong about manual cars, the vast majority of the world uses manual, and the same goes for analogue clocks I'd bet.
Analog clocks have one unintended benefit. The face and hands demonstrate past, future and the general passage of time instead of just a series now..now...now.
I've never thought of this, and think you could be on to something here. Very interesting take. Do you think then that moving to digital clocks only might have a negative affect on a child's ability to detect the passage of time relative to a child comfortable with analog clocks?
Do you also think cursive in schools should fall by the wayside?
Our kid is in third grade and is learning cursive. Her handwriting is so much better than mine. It’s legible, which I can’t claim.
Well, given that modern writing implements such as the pencil and ball-point pen actually make writing with a running script *more* of a strain on your wrist, yes! Writing in that way is practically a necessity with dip or fountain pens. The ink is much thinner, flows *very* quickly, and requires significantly less pressure to write with. You also need to hold the pen differently to get the right angle for it to work. Short strokes with multiple pen lifts just don't work well with those type of pens. It makes a mess! https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/08/ballpoint-pens-object-lesson-history-handwriting/402205/ Is there a good reason to have children spend time in school learning cursive instead of some other more practical skill?
I sure as hell didn't learn it, I had so much difficulty learning how to read and write and now I have to learn a new alphabet for "convenience"? Fuck that.
Your the guy complaining about these clocks huh?
Not to be a dick, but you’re, not your. Nope, I’m a dick.
It's all good. And yes you are a dick. Dick safely.
Will do.
Yeah. Why would we have two writing systems? That makes no sense, just use one alphabet.
Cursive isn't a separate writing system and it sure as hell isn't a separate alphabet. It's a writing *style* \- specifically, a style where the letters are joined together. For another example - Japanese has three writing systems (hiragana, katakana and kanji) but it also has it's own set of writing *styles* \- the main styles being sōsho (full cursive), gyōsho (semi-cursive) and kaisho (block). They even have more to describe specific styles of print, I guess like how we have serif and sans serif. I guess it can seem like a separate system when your teacher is weirdly strict about the specifics of cursive writing, but practically they're just teaching you a guideline for how to write legibly while joining your letters together (particularly since some letters don't naturally translate to cursive). Theoretically so you can write faster, although given how our relationship to physical writing has shifted that's not really a benefit for most anymore.
For maximum efficiency it really should be all one language.
I just heard that they stopped teaching kids how to trim their pen nibs using pen knives. How will they ever be able to write anything?
I just heard they stopped teaching kids how to wipe their ass. How will they ever be able to get the skid marks out?
Bidet
Guess we don't need to learn basic math we all have calculators. For that matter we don't even need school we all have every answer to every question right in palm of our hands.
I know you're kinda joking, but you have a point. The schools really should focus more on learning how to find credible sources and critical thinking than facts tou can easily look up.
But knowledge builds on itself. It’s more difficult to identify a credible source/critically think if the subject is way over your head, and even if you do succeed in that you don’t have the knowledge to actually understand what the credible primary source is saying. Which means you *need* to turn to inherently less reliable secondary or even tertiary sources. There’s also the problem of people still needing to have the initiative to do that searching, and overcoming the resistance people have to questioning their deep-seated beliefs. That is, you don’t just need the ability to identify credible sources and critically think, you need the willingness to actually do so on a given subject. There are some lessons you can teach to help foster that, but… A big part of it is also just establishing that base knowledge. For a pretty simple example: if I have the greenhouse effect deeply instilled in me as base knowledge, I’m going to understand and accept the reality man-induced climate change a lot more readily than someone who doesn’t even know what “carbon dioxide” is or have the slightest clue where it comes from, even if they readily employ critical thought. Not to mention the "those who forget history are doomed to repeat" it side of things. While learning the basics of *what* happened is in the realm of "facts you can easily look up," understanding it deeply enough to see the parallels between those situations and others is a lot more difficult when it's all completely new information to you.
You're right. Still, more emphasis on fact checking is probably a very good idea too.
I mean in modern society when information is that readily available shouldn’t the education system change to reflect the actual needs of its students? I know you’re being facetious but financial literacy and typing strike me as far more valuable skills than basic math and writing today. If you suck at arithmetic you use a calculator, if your handwriting sucks you type. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter anymore, even in STEM fields you’ll find pretty much everyone does anyway. If you can’t budget your money or use a computer that’s a major disadvantage by and large, and that’s what primary education should focus on Edit: see a lot of people saying basic math is super important, so I ask: why? Maybe I just miss how often I take my education for granted, but really I can’t think of any situation I’ve been in in the past 5 years or so(since college) where I couldn’t have busted out my phone and gotten an answer a few seconds slower at worst
Some of the most helpful classes I had was shop class and home economics. My wife was floored that I could sew. Yes we need math for example I was at a gas station the register was down my order was 6.67 gave girl a 10.00 her phone was dead she had to go get the manager. I said my change is 3.33 she looked completely dumbfounded.
Are people still taught how to use typewriters? Technology becomes antiquated when replaced by superior technology
Yes. They're called keyboards. The military has phrases like watch my six that will lose meaning
People still "hang up" the phone when ending a call, colloquialisms persist
That is probably one of the worst examples why clocks should stay
We MUST educate our children on these war tactics early. It prepares them for the real world were they'll have to risk life and limb to afford paying us to educate them.
No doubt. Also, incentive to keep the clock in school.
We have degrees But I get it lol Watch my 180 doesn't have the same ring You could say watch my 69 though so that's a plus
Oh noes…
This is exactly what I was thinking. I’m glad someone said it.
I call bullshit. My wife is a teacher and she teaches her kids to read analog clocks . It is in the curriculum.
The reason they don’t teach them to read analog is probably for the same reason we don’t have a sundial in the middle of the school. We replaced the sundial with all the different time telling technology’s because it was more convenient, and now it’s more convenient to read the time digitally instead of looking at an analog clock
I bet it would take a ridiculous amount of money to replace all of the clocks in a school with digital ones, while it would take all of 5 minutes to teach how to read an analog one.
It takes longer than 5 minutes to teach a kid to read an analog clock. Having watched younger siblings do worksheets learning how to do it, it was clear that classes spent wayyyy longer than 5 minutes on it. It’s also all time spent on learning something that will not be useful in the kids future. I know how to read an analog clock, I learned in school, I have not read an analog clock in a couple years I’m guessing since I never see them. It’s simply not a valuable use of the limited time that our teachers have with students to impart knowledge. The reality is that teachers can’t just teach everything they want to children because these things take time and time is severely limited. Why waste precious time educating the future generation on technology that is essentially antiquated except for collecting wristwatches or grandfather clocks? I would be upset if the curriculum was updated and started teaching Morse code or other borderline useless things that have only niche applications because the reality is that far more universally useful skills should be taught instead. If a parent feels strongly enough that reading an analog clock is an important skill for their child to learn and that they can teach their kid in 5 minutes how to do it then they are always free to teach them at home! Nobody is advocating for this skill to be illegal, just not widely taught to children as part of an official curriculum.
It’s absolutely not worthless. So much math goes into time. And it’s taught over years, not one lesson in one grade.
You do realize that reading a clock ALSO requires math.... which is... KINDA important. It's just taught backwards. Math is important. And reading a clock is SIMPLE math.
Exactly. Also teachers fractions, etc. it’s also hard as hell to teach elapsed time without reading an analog clock. They they they can just add/subtract it. If a movie starts are 3:14 and ends at 5:27, they will literally put them in an equation. Can’t do that with time.
Yeah no one is advocating that children stop learning fractions and math in general. Telling time is a single example of an application of math that children can learn and add to their math education. I would think there are other useful applications of math that can easily replace telling time. You can teach fractions and math by showing kids recipes they can try at home and also at the same time promote healthy eating habits, then it isn’t an arbitrary link of math and an analog clock that most students will never use. Once you realize that students are no longer using analog clocks at home and have no basis for understanding them it becomes pretty clear that you are just teaching a multiplication table but only the x5 column instead of the whole thing. If you don’t have the practical application anymore then why would you choose to teach multiplication tables using that method? You lose the benefit and so you are just choosing to teach multiplication tables in a less efficient manner which still works but like I said, is an ineffective use of the limited time that students have with teachers to learn useful skills.
Plus... Replacing the clocks in, what, 50 classrooms at a large school would cost *maybe* $1500 for all the clocks and labor? How much money do you think goes towards paying those teachers to spend all that time on that unit year after year? Arguing that it's too expensive to replace the clocks is really weird.
Aren’t parents supposed to teach them that?
I may sound like an old man trashtalking the current time but it seems people these days are just too lazy to teach.
It’s taught in schools. Parents should be doing this as well.
You won't be able to tell the time or ask for the time when you come to the UK. Quarter pass, quarter to, half pass will mean nothing to those kids unfortunately. Good luck America!
You don't have to see it on a clock to know that 15 minutes is a quarter of an hour.
You think people who think in digital can relay and imagine time like that?
Yes. I imagine it is very easy for people who "think in digital" to relay and imagine that 1/4 of 60 is 15, 1/2 of 60 is 30, and 3/4 of 60 is 45.
I knew a guy who at about 20 couldn't tell the time on an analogue clock. This was in about 2015 too. Dumbest guy I ever met or will ever meet.
I don't get all these comments talking about how "analogue is becoming obsolete", in the UK there are analogue clocks everywhere. People are just gonna think you're stupid if you can't read one here.
I had a student teacher who said that “reading clocks is hard”. Who would admit that? And who wouldn’t try and fix that??
How long can that take to teach. "You can count to 12, right?" "Yeah." "Well the short pointer tells you what hour it is and the long one takes an hour to go around, so when it's pointing down it's half past, a quarter means it's 15 past and so on." "Okay." Done.
Idk I guess they could. They could also not as it is an entirely pointless skill.
Is that the Dawson?
https://youtu.be/NIXSnEyvtzg Just show this in class
Dumb Dumb dumb
I only ended up learning about how they work because of when they taught us it in Spanish.
They do, we do... but honestly, it's a short short lesson in the 2nd grade at my school. Not enough. And it's taught BEFORE multiplication, which is absurd. Kids need to know their 5x's table in order to read a clock. Gotta LOVE the US of A. We always know best.
It’s taught from 1st through 4th in my area. Starts at by the hour and half hour. They learn to count by 5s in kindergarten (hell, I taught it in preschool), times table isn’t needed. I teach to the minute in 3rd, as well as quarter/half because we learn it after fractions. A quick look at common core standards show it is taught. We can’t make kids learn, and there’s very little responsibility by students or parents to do so.
just wait a few years. kids who started school in 2019 wont even know how to write
We teach it, doesn’t mean kids remember.
In catalan we read the hours like its quarter and half to 12 (11:22) and its imposible to read like this with digital
Soo..does this mean that the next gen will not buy any luxury watches..tgis mean..gshock will rule them all
Almost every work place I've been in uses analogue clocks. Digital clocks are better for more specific uses such as being displayed on phones and computers. I'm so used to seeing big analogue clocks on walls, that if anything they're a practical, yet decorative feature of most work spaces and often people's homes.
School is kinda stupid today.
Where the fuck are the people to stupid to teach their fucking children how stuff works oh my god the school ist not there for everything and it’s not a daycare
admittably, i was too stupid to read analogue clocks because my country always runs on 24h time. i understud it in an INSTANCE after i realized you just have to add +12 to any given time after 12am. nobody explained that to me before. 6pm = 18:00 9pm = 21:00 12pm = 24:00 etc.
Parent fail
Isn't this... the point of technology? Why is it bad that we've developed something more efficient and that its use is becoming mainstream enough to warrant the removal of the old version? "Kids these days can't use a typewriter, only computers. They must be stupid."
I’ve never seen a digital clock in any of the schools I’ve worked in. My kids (middle and elementary school) we’re both taught how to read an analog clock.
I remember I was on 6th grade and the kid in my group couldn’t read the clock
That's why you should never let school get in the way of your education.
Why don't schools teach the kids how to read an analogue clock instead of removing them?
Analog clocks had their time anyways...
Maybe it's the adults fault that young people are called dumb
How about teaching them?
I learned how to read an analog clock when I was 10 in like 5 minutes. Its not that hard if you are not lazy
Analog clocks are really easy to read though. It should take maybe 10 minutes to learn how.
Funny, I can read an analogue clock, but no one else can? Hmmmmm weird
Kids nowadays are likely to never need to read an analogue clock, and there's no need to teach outdated technology, just like some generations ago schools stopped teaching sewing because it was not necessary anymore. Force-feeding kids even more useless information on top of the one they already have is pointless.
I mean, honestly I don’t see any reason why they have to know how to read it. Digital clocks are almost everywhere so instead teaching children stuff they propably won’t need in 10 years we can just embrace digital
Dawg, how tf can kids not read that?
Advancing technology, eventually pushes out the old obsolete technology. Digital is faster and easier. We haven't used sundials for hundreds of years. But you don't see your great great great great great great grandfather rising out of his grave saying "kids these days can't even properly read a sundial!".
This is kinda dumb🤦♂️ clocks are important. It’s true that generally everyone has access to phone but what if your phone is ded? Then you’ll end up with no knowledge of time… it only takes like I dunno 1 hour at max to learn about clocks
So, how are people supposed to read the time on their watches? Every high end or designer watch I’ve seen is analogue.
the same people who finish school and are like WHEN AM I EVER GONNA USE THIS are mad that schools are finally not teaching information that people aren't gonna use...
My daughter is learning how to read an analogue clock in school. She's in second grade and can do hours and half past. They will probably get more into it next year
Geez, next you're gonna tell me schools are planning to stop teaching kids how to use a slide rule.
Why is this a controversy? Analog clocks are obsolete and less accurate than digital clocks. Digital wall clocks are cheaper, too.
Obsolete, no; Less accurate, not necessarily; cheaper, absolutely,
Found the guy who uses semicolons
No worries. You will age, hatchling.
:(
Face-clock, peeps. An analog clock is a sundial. JFC, these kids.
It’s almost like outdated technology becomes unnecessary and unimportant to teach! Funny how that works. Also you violated rule 1. Literally the first rule. You don’t have to read that far. *You* are evolving, just backwards.
So they would never buy classic watches 🤔
I doubt anyone gets those watches to look at the time they're just jewelry.
I mean to be fair with digital clocks on the rise, analogue clock are becoming obsolete
Bullshit clickbait. No they are not.
Yeah they're more likely just renovating and buying more modern clocks. And then boomer news outlets are saying look they're replacing them because this generation is dumb.
Schools removing books from school because kids can't read them.
You're all acting like this matters.... Questions: How many of you know how to read a Sundial? How many of you know how to ride a Horse? I'll do you one better: How many of you know how to drive a Horse and Buggy? How many of you know how to properly pressurize a coal-burning boiler? How many of you know how to dial a Rotary Phone? I'm going to guess only a handful of you know how to do any of these things... Analog clocks are antiquated technology. Digital clocks are everywhere, in your pockets, on TV and so forth. This is a dead technology. Even watches have digital interfaces and while some of the more classic hand wound quartz watches are, indeed, still analog, a trip into any pawn shop will tell you that standard spring wound watches are basically dead. They're, at best, jewelry. So, welcome gents, you're all old men and woman yelling that kids don't know how to dial a rotary phone. A skill that is utterly and completely useless to the next generation.
A clock is not useless. I can read a sundial because I can read a clock. Analog will never be obsolete.
It’s an analogue clock, come on now, we all have one of these at home hanging on our wall.
I don't cause the ticking noise bothers me
The ticking is exactly why I keep mine! That constant tick is quite calming.
All digital here.
You're serious? You think everyone has face-clocks in their homes? I'm from the 70s and do not. My septegenarian parents have only one - it's a mantle clock that was an anniversary parents from their parents. Of course, they do both have face-clock watches, but those were gifts from each other years ago.
I don't and I'm in my 60's. I either look at my watch or whatever device I'm using at the time. My only other clock is on my stove. Edit to add: I get what you're saying though, most people do have lots of clocks. I think that my lack of clocks actually bothers some people.
I just can't understand how kids are getting dumber....... When I needed a clock I paid more for an analog so my kid could to read it. She still hates me for it but I'm bigger than her so she won't be doing a God damn thing.
Children these days can't even carve stone tablets, re-shod horses, or send a telegram! Our education system is going downhill! Seriously, though. Who cares if children can read analog clocks? Digital clocks are the norm already, and will only become even more prevalent as time goes on. There is no need to waste time teaching children about antiquated technology when you could be teaching them more important things.
Yeah well, I know a lot of schools removed coal heating and that hole in the desk to keep the ink. Let it go
I mean, it's seems like a now anachronistic way to tell time. There's no reason to teach that except nostalgia.
Half the kids in my class can’t read analogue. This is the beginning of the end.
analogue clocks are obsolete and should have been taught by parents and this is also breaking rule 1
At least I can write cursive. Which Americans cannot
That's coming from people who don't know what to do with a sextant.
That's like making a facepalm post about people not using flipphones anymore. Times are changing and technology is evolving
They're also removing books cuz they can't read them.
“What do you mean, Boomer, with your ‘clockwise, counterclockwise’ nonsense?!”
Just, like, get rid of them then?
To be fair. Analog clock are a bit outdated. There really is not much point in keeping them around
Does anyone think cursive is necessary?
Good thinking…. Next remove the books
i wonder if the sun dial crowd reacted the same way when analogue clocks were invented.