Holly Bush's Blog - Posts Tagged "reading"
Jimmy Can't Count & I Don't Care!
I was at the local ice cream shop last night intending to wipe out any recent weight loss victories that I had managed to accomplish during the previous week. I stood in line and debated the sundaes - the Big One or a regular, hot fudge or a nod to the fruit category with strawberries and whipped or no whip.
"May I help you?" the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl asked me with a smile.
"I'll have a large strawberry sundae, whip, no cherry."
The young lady picked up a pencil and a notebook. "Did you want the Big One?"
"Yes. The large," I said.
"Not the regular?"
"No. The large."
"The Big One?" she asked with a smile.
She was going to make me say it. "The Big One," I said."Strawberries, whip, no cherry."
"Whipped cream?"
"Yes, please. No cherry."
She punched in a few keys on the cash register and said, "That will be $4.45."
I looked at her and wondered what percentage sales tax she was charging on the $4.39 Big One but I held my tongue and handed her a five dollar bill.
She stared at it and then looked at the cash register. I guessed she had hit the total key before ringing in my five as the amount tendered. I watched her mouth some numbers, look at her hands and tick off her fingers. I silently wondered how much simpler a math problem could be. She turned to me and smiled.
"Can you tell me how much your change is?"
I glanced at the line behind me and said, "Count up, not down." Blank stare. "Count up from the price till you come to the amount I have given you."
"I don't know what you mean," she said.
"What coin will take $4.45 to $4.50?" She thought for a while and I said, "A nickel. A nickel will take you from $4.45 to $4.50."
She picked up a nickel and stared at me.
It was bad enough that she couldn't calculate her way to 55 cents, it was worse that she could not follow the pattern. "Two quarters. That's what you need to add to the nickel. My change is 55 cents."
She looked at the coins in the drawer, put back the nickel, got it back out and added two other coins. I didn't look to see what she handed me. I just smiled and dumped it in my change purse.
She made me the Big One with strawberries and whip, bagged it and said, "Thank you. Please come again."
It was all I could do to not tell her when she got to school Monday morning to go directly to the Principal's Office and demand to be taught some basic math. I wonder if anyone has noticed. I wonder if her parents or math teacher or boss has noticed that this child is three years away from being able to vote or go to war and can't count. I wonder if anyone noticed.
"May I help you?" the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl asked me with a smile.
"I'll have a large strawberry sundae, whip, no cherry."
The young lady picked up a pencil and a notebook. "Did you want the Big One?"
"Yes. The large," I said.
"Not the regular?"
"No. The large."
"The Big One?" she asked with a smile.
She was going to make me say it. "The Big One," I said."Strawberries, whip, no cherry."
"Whipped cream?"
"Yes, please. No cherry."
She punched in a few keys on the cash register and said, "That will be $4.45."
I looked at her and wondered what percentage sales tax she was charging on the $4.39 Big One but I held my tongue and handed her a five dollar bill.
She stared at it and then looked at the cash register. I guessed she had hit the total key before ringing in my five as the amount tendered. I watched her mouth some numbers, look at her hands and tick off her fingers. I silently wondered how much simpler a math problem could be. She turned to me and smiled.
"Can you tell me how much your change is?"
I glanced at the line behind me and said, "Count up, not down." Blank stare. "Count up from the price till you come to the amount I have given you."
"I don't know what you mean," she said.
"What coin will take $4.45 to $4.50?" She thought for a while and I said, "A nickel. A nickel will take you from $4.45 to $4.50."
She picked up a nickel and stared at me.
It was bad enough that she couldn't calculate her way to 55 cents, it was worse that she could not follow the pattern. "Two quarters. That's what you need to add to the nickel. My change is 55 cents."
She looked at the coins in the drawer, put back the nickel, got it back out and added two other coins. I didn't look to see what she handed me. I just smiled and dumped it in my change purse.
She made me the Big One with strawberries and whip, bagged it and said, "Thank you. Please come again."
It was all I could do to not tell her when she got to school Monday morning to go directly to the Principal's Office and demand to be taught some basic math. I wonder if anyone has noticed. I wonder if her parents or math teacher or boss has noticed that this child is three years away from being able to vote or go to war and can't count. I wonder if anyone noticed.
