Teaching Math

[teerex51]

Teaching math

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58.

The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her.

She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register.

I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help.

While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried.

Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the

1950s:

Teaching Math In 1950

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production

is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1960

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production

is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

Teaching Math In 1970

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production

is $80.

Did he make a profit?



Teaching Math In 1980

A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production

is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

Teaching Math In 1990

A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and

inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20.

What do you think of this way of making a living?

Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)

Teaching Math In 2005

Un hachero vende una carretada de madera para $100. !

El costo de la producción es $80

 

[meosborn]

That was awesome!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[kaitsdad]

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Sad, but True .....

 

[mbottoms]

Dead on.

I bet if you had given her the option to phone a friend, eventually they would have found someone with the right answer, Maybe.

Very Sad State

The kids today don't have a clue.

Mark

 

[Bike Effects]

Stef, are you absolutely POSITIVE you don't live in California?

 

[FJRottie]

That is funny and true and sad.

I remember playing cards with friends a while back, and one of my friend's teenage daughter was there.

We were playing a simple counting card game.

She couldn't add 8 to 26 unless she counted from 27 to 34 on her fingers.

She was desperately in need of a calculator.

 

[Just Plain Dave]

Right on!!! Except you left out the part where they taught the logger how to put a condom on a banana. :bleh:

 

[SpeedFreak]

My wife and I were at wal-mart (Wally World), doing our best to pump up the local economy for the coming commercial season. Having four kids means we need to spend wisely. So we decided to put this order on lay-away.

So this process takes the clerk a good 25 minutes to handle cause I keep asking him questions while he's working and he gets distracted way too easy.

After our transaction, he helps the lady behind us buying a bed-in-a-bag. She complains because the plastic bag it comes in won't close due to the zipper being broken. She tells him that all the units left are also broken. So the clerk tells the woman he will take some money off the order. He ask's the second clerks if he's any good at math to which he responds "Yeah Kinda. Whatcha need". The first clerks says. "I want to give this lady a break on the price of this bedding, what's 10% of $75.00?"

I look at my wife and almost cry. Is that what I have to look forward to for my kids edumication? :huh:

-=SF=-

 

[Just Plain Dave]

I was repairing a computer in a small town Wal-Mart cash office a few years back when the store manager walked in and asked, "How do you put down on paper one hundred thousand and twenty one dollars." I said to him, "one, zero, zero, zero, two, one, decimal, zero, zero." He put it down as I said it, looked puzzled at it, then said, "No, that can't be right," and proceeded to ask someone else. This was the MANAGER.

 

[professor]

I used to own a roofing business. One of our largest contractors decided to increase their profits by squeezing the subs down on their price by %5. So they fired the local purchasing agent and called in the BIG GUN from corporate in Texas. This guy was a young ass kicker that could get the job done and all the sub contractors were shaking in their boots. Fortuneately for our company there was a petrolium shortage at the time so I informed him that I was going to have to come in with a price INCREASE. My turn in the barrell came and I explaned that I was going to have to go up on the bids by $5 per square, I needed to get $3 per square (100 sq ft) to cover increases so I figured if I asked for 5, he could beat me down to 3 and I'd still be OK. He hollered NO WAY! He told me that he worked the figures the night before and the most that they could pay was 10 cents per square foot, take it or leave it! I thought---- is this guy that stupid ( 10 cents per sq foot is $10 per square) so I told him I would have to go home and refigure the bids to see if I could survive at that price. Next morning I told him that I could live with the 10 cent increase and he was happy as a clam. His poor math skills cost his company probably 70 or $80,000 in the next 12 months alone. Stupitity can be very costly! MIKE