This is sad....Do you know children that can not read a clock that has hands
By sjohnson628
@sjohnson628 (3197)
United States
August 29, 2007 9:30pm CST
on it because they learned to tell time by a digital clock?
A friend of mine was here a couple days ago with her daughter and her daughter asked me what time it was.
We were sitting out on the deck and I pointed to a clock that we have on the outside of the house and she said she couldn't tell the time by that kind of clock.
I thought to my self OMG! Do they not teach kids in school the old fashioned way of reading a clock?
Then I asked her "didn't you learn how to read a clock in school?"
Now she is 15 years old and she told me that no she didn't.
I just couldn't believe that. But then I gave her the benefit of the doubt as I thought to myself again that maybe they don't teach kids that anymore because of the fact that everything is digital now...
What are your opinions on this?
My son is 22 and they taught him how to read a clock with hands on it when he was in school.- But then again that was about 17 years ago.
Do you think this is true that they don't do this anymore because of digital?
I would love to hear feedback on this issue.
7 people like this
24 responses
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
30 Aug 07
My son is 31 years old and I think the digital were coming out around the time he was in the second or third grade. I learned real fast that I didn't want to have one around just for that reason. I saw what was happening and wanted to nip that in the bud fast.
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
30 Aug 07
I have and did avoid ever owning a digital watch or clock for the same purpose but it never worked for my son as far as reading them. Who knows why.
2 people like this
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
30 Aug 07
Well talk of technology! Your post made me sad and its actually very surprising that a fifteen year old girl cant tell the time by the hands. But I think parents are also to blame for this. If she was not taught at school, her parents could definitely have made the effort to do so. With parents so thick and so casual about their child’s education, she was bound to suffer and the worst part of it is such people wont even acknowledge that they have actually messed up on something very basic. They think it’s very ‘advanced’ that their girl can read only the digital clock. My son is 8 and here in India, they are taught to follow the hands from the age of 6 yrs.
2 people like this
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
30 Aug 07
What about the parents's responsibility to raise children that can function in any environment, digital or otherwise.The schools have certain responsibilities but so do the parents. Surely they would be embarassed if a teenager from a third world country where there are hardly any computers would have to teach a Western Teenager how to read a clock? It is the same with calculators. If the schools don't teach the basics of adding subtracting multiplying and dividing on paper or in you head someone has to do it so a person can function in case the digital gadgets are down. Are Westerners becoming too lazy?
2 people like this
@mikeyr6000le (2123)
• United States
30 Aug 07
A clock with hands could be like a slide rule. It had it's purpose when they were around but now no one uses them. Just like phones with dials, beta max and yes even 8 tracks. They were great when they here but now thye are gone. I'm sure clcoks with hands will always be around for decoritve and tradition reasons but other then that, go digital.
2 people like this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
30 Aug 07
I beg your pardon the clock with hands has not gone out of date. My home only has clocke with hands. they are every where. They are in the banks grocery stores. on the street corners. our town just did and up date on the streets and just put in clocks with hands. Kids need to be taught both ways.
1 person likes this
@stella1989 (2274)
• India
30 Aug 07
Its really shocking to know that children at your place can't read clocks with hand..??
In my place there is not a single child (except young babies)who can't read clock with hands, actually we still teach children how to read such clocks both in school as well as in home..!!
children get there maths sum in form of reading the values from clocks in there books..!!
so they are pretty much aware of such clocks...and may such clocks are still used in large scale out here in my place.
Even I know some kids who can read clocks based on the shadow of sun...!!Now thats really amazing..!!
@hardworkingmom (1130)
• United States
30 Aug 07
that is very sad. But my 6 year was taught how th read the clock with the hand. he haven't mastered it yet but we are working with him and my 13 year because I'm just shamed that he haven't mastered it being a straight A student he should know how to tell time from front to back. But also again my 8 year old had an older teacher. One of them that bend the rules alittle bit and teach things the old fashion way
2 people like this
@mattmc419 (361)
• United States
31 Aug 07
I'm sure most schools go over it briefly, but not to any extent since it isn't as important. Also as people don't use the skill as much anymore, they are probably more apt to forget it.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
30 Aug 07
It is pretty sad and disheartening isn;t it? My son who is almost 27 has a real hard time even now reading a clock with hands not the numbers. Sometimes the technical world isn't so great after all.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
30 Aug 07
We teach kids telling the time the old fashioned way, but their pasrents don't. I am stronbgly against digital watches for that very reason.
Kids must have aaditional clock face as their first watch, or clock in their bedroom. Many children find it very diofficult learning to tell the time, mainly due to the reliance on dogital in their own home.
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
31 Aug 07
I too, see that as sad. Not reading a clock is just one more thing that will slowly go by the wayside with the electronic generation. When I worked at a fastfood joint as a teen, we had to count out a person's change from the cents up to the dollar. Today, the register shows you what to give the customer back, and yet the employees still make errors! I work in healthcare and you wouldn't believe how many of my students not only can't read an old fashioned themometer, they haven't SEEN one!!!! Everything is digital today!
1 person likes this
@DJ9020 (1596)
• United States
30 Aug 07
My youngest daughter is 15 also, and I remember when they were teaching time at her school. They did teach both ways, digital and the old fashioned way. But that may have just been her school. Now, ask her what a record player is! Bet she won't know!
2 people like this
@celestialceece (260)
• United States
30 Aug 07
We do live in the digital day and age, where children have cell phones from a young age. It makes me feel a little outdated, because I only very recently started carrying a (prepaid) cell phone.
My point is that teacher's might not feel obligated to teach kids how to tell time the traditional way - with a clock with hands on it. They are getting more and more obscure as time goes on, because of technological advances!
@fpd1955 (2074)
• United States
30 Aug 07
They should be taught how to read a clock with hands! Airports, stores and most other inside public places have clocks with hands. Heck, there are even questons on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" that ask ?'s about clocks with hands. How are the kids supposed to win a million dollars if they can't get past the $100 question??!!
PEACE
2 people like this
@ArsonCuff (3114)
• United States
30 Aug 07
Calculators being introduced into schools also affected children's ability to do math i would reckon...meh...we are de-evolving.
1 person likes this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
30 Aug 07
yes, i think it is very sad... technology advances are not all great after all, isn't it??? i feel that as the technology advances, humans are becoming stupidier and lazier (sorry for my harsh words)... they become more and more reliance on technology and cannot function without them which is very sad... i don't know what kind of generation will we produce in the future if the teenagers can't even read a clock that has hands... this is really scary and disheartening...
1 person likes this
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
30 Aug 07
My daughter is in Kindergarten and I know she actually came home the other day with a picture of a clock, not a digital one and the teacher is starting to already teach them about clocks and time.
I know schools still use the clocks with the hands and they also use digital clocks to teach kids time.
I just think that sometimes people just don't want to learn. I also know some people that are in their 20's that have a hard time with the clocks and need to use a digital to tell time.
I have offered to help someone that only knew how to read a digital clock, but they told me they didn't want to learn because it's to much of a pain.
I think maybe it's because some are lazy in the minds. LOL!
1 person likes this
@psyche49f (2502)
• Philippines
30 Aug 07
Clock reading the traditional way is still in...in fact, it would be good to learn it right from the very start of schooling, say in nursery or kindergarten. I learned how to read clocks at such an early age...the digital reading is peanuts after you learn the traditional clock reading...survival is the name of the game and children who are even unable to read clocks the traditional way (it is still what is used in airports, etc.) will not be able to survive the world we are in now...so schools should always go back to the basic when it comes to clock reading...
1 person likes this
@restlesslimbs (174)
• United States
30 Aug 07
Not only do they not know how to read a clock face, they literally don't know the value of money. I was shocked when my teenage sister asked me "is this a nickel or a dime?" It's not that they aren't taught in grade school. It's just that in real life they don't need as much practice.
1 person likes this
@Shatterstar (123)
• United States
31 Aug 07
For the longest time I could'nt read non digital clocks. Not because they did'nt teach me, but because I just could'nt figure it out. That was my fault. Though I am proud to say I can now read any type of clock, though I still have trouble with non digital clocks when I'm not tired.
But has far as I know they still teach you how to read normal clocks in school. I can't see why they would'nt, has it would seem most schools use non digital clocks, atleast mine did.
