For high school use only
How old were you when you learned to tell time? How long did it take you to learn?
The world’s high schools are full of teens who can’t answer those two questions. They never learned to read a clock.
Being educated by “educators” is a serious disadvantage. When I was in second grade they thought I was stupid because I couldn’t read the blackboard. The reason I couldn’t read it was that I was growing near-sighted and my seat was toward the back of the classroom. I didn’t complain because I was just seven years old and didn’t realize that I had a problem that could be fixed.
I got “smart” very soon after getting my first pair of glasses.
I don’t remember how old I was when I learned to tell time, but I know it was before starting first grade because I needed to be ready for the bus.
My mother taught me how to tell time (“The big hand’s on 12…”)–we didn’t need school for that.
Unbelievable. Such a basic, simple skill shouldn’t be lost.
Not only can’t they read an analog clock, but they also can’t write in cursive (proven to be an effective way to build up brain power). I also learned I was near-sighted by sitting in the back of the room, but in the 7th grade.
When my girls were little, I did a lot of research on child development. One of the things I remember is that if some skills are not learned at the right developmental stage (which is not the same for all children), it becomes much more difficult for them to learn it later. Being able to read an analog clock was one of those skills. If it’s not learned in those early years, it’s extremely difficult to pick up, later.
That developmental stage is typically before school age, but with so many children in care from infancy, it’s on both the parents and daycares for missing it and not teaching it when the kids would pick it up easily.
Wow! Makes way too much sense.