When I was a kid.......

[highup]

Thought this topic would be fun for us ol' geezers.
It was in the early seventies I received my brother's paper route, I didn't want it but my parents decided I need some business experience.
He wanted to play football and that wouldn't allow him extra time to the paper route. Being the little brother, the paper route I didn't want became mine via default.
Here's where the old geezer part comes in.
It was a small paper route, only 32 to 36 customers as I recall. It was just too long blocks not far from our home.
On occasion I would go with him when he was collecting and the rate was $1.75 per month. That included Saturdays paper. A lot of people handed him $2 bills and said "keep the change"
He probably averaged $4 to $6 a month in tips, plus the 16 dollars a month he got from the newspaper. He was freekin rich,. Rupert Murdoch!!!
In less than 3 months after I acquired the route, the price of the paper went up to $2 per month.
How many people, do you suppose we're throwing in an extra quarter and saying keep the change? My tips were zero
Pretty damn close to zero anyway
That right there created my personal hatred toward business.
Didn't like it then, don't like it now.
Oh wait, I haven't checked my Powerball ticket.
I just thought it would be fun to talk about old geezer stories, we always b**** about stuff like, "when I was a kid", or "when I was your age"
I thought this would be kind of fun to hear what you have experienced.
My paper route ended during the months prior to Nixon pulling out of Vietnam so as I walked down the street before delivering papers, I always read the headlines and a little bit more.
I was probably more informed than most other kids my age because of that.
That paper route and got me noticing politics and informing me of how the world reacted to that war.
I now feel fortunate about having the paper route that I didn't want, because it changed or opened my attention to the real world. I think this transformed me somewhat from GI Joe and Tonka toys to the slow beginnings to adulthood.
I'm officially in 'da hood now.
('da adult hood now)
Holy crap, mom and dad knew what they were doin' when they sentenced me to the paper route that my brother could no longer do.

 

[Commercial Floor Rep]

I had one of these "old man" moments last night.

My youngest daughter has some health challenges and as a result it takes her a little longer to process things sometimes. She's great at writing but has always struggled with math. She's currently in college and she's taking a class titled "Quantitive Reasoning" which is a really fancy way of saying a class on math "story" problems.

My wife gets too easily frustrated so she asked me to help "tutor" her through this class. I sat down last night to go through her first homework and review the class with her. I read the lesson and it was about the silliest thing I've ever seen. It appears as though it's a class designed for kids who are similar to my daughter and have struggled through their schooling with the subject. I get that. That's why she's there. But it's almost as if they are trying to inject emotions into the subject of math instead of actually teaching these kids math.

Questions like "Bob has 3 apples and Bill has 4 apples, how do you feel about that?" What the hell is that? There's no emotions in math! Just like there's no crying in baseball!

We got through it, and eventually they did start interjecting some math, but dear Lord do we really have to care about fictional people in a math problem?

The other frustrating part is the round about way they go about solving math problems. I could answer the questions in one or two steps and they are going the long way around the barn showing all sorts of confusing and unnecessary steps to get to the same answer. It's no wonder they struggle.

My old man rant for the day.

 

[highup]

Bob has 3 apples and Bill has 4 apples, how do you feel about that?
I think I would have written down, I think Bill stole an apple cuz we only bought six.

 

[Incognito]

I took a route with 95 homes in North Haven CT (mostly farmland at that time) and I think the weekly paper was 95 cents. Generally they gave me a dollar but plenty of them doled out the exact change with no tip. I eventually learned the big tips came around Christmas. I was 14 years old and just started smoking dope so I gave up the route mid December to a friend after humping the paper all year. He made BANK on Christmas week collections tips and laughed at my foolishness. How the hell would I know such a thing?

 

[highup]

Well, you learned a life lesson.

 

[Incognito]

I had one of these "old man" moments last night.

My youngest daughter has some health challenges and as a result it takes her a little longer to process things sometimes. She's great at writing but has always struggled with math. She's currently in college and she's taking a class titled "Quantitive Reasoning" which is a really fancy way of saying a class on math "story" problems.

My wife gets too easily frustrated so she asked me to help "tutor" her through this class. I sat down last night to go through her first homework and review the class with her. I read the lesson and it was about the silliest thing I've ever seen. It appears as though it's a class designed for kids who are similar to my daughter and have struggled through their schooling with the subject. I get that. That's why she's there. But it's almost as if they are trying to inject emotions into the subject of math instead of actually teaching these kids math.

Questions like "Bob has 3 apples and Bill has 4 apples, how do you feel about that?" What the hell is that? There's no emotions in math! Just like there's no crying in baseball!

We got through it, and eventually they did start interjecting some math, but dear Lord do we really have to care about fictional people in a math problem?

The other frustrating part is the round about way they go about solving math problems. I could answer the questions in one or two steps and they are going the long way around the barn showing all sorts of confusing and unnecessary steps to get to the same answer. It's no wonder they struggle.

My old man rant for the day.

My wife really struggles with math as well. Despite a Masters Degree in Speech Therapy her skill level with math is barely Grade School level. Genius is a funny thing...............as is any and all measures of intelligence like IQ testing or SAT scores. They just dont account for the real variations human beings have in intellectual ability that are in fact immeasurable. My wife is CRAZY smart in all the ways where I'm deficient. Funny how that worked out for us.

 

[Incognito]

Well, you learned a life lesson.

I didn't really care then. I was stoned all the time.

 

[C.J.]

I didn't really care then. I was stoned all the time.

The best lessons in life aren’t realized and fully understood until later on.

 

[Incognito]

The best lessons in life aren’t realized and fully understood until later on.

Like when you move out of Mom and Dad's house and all of a sudden money IS an object. I had to scrounge and live low for a few years til I got the union wage/overtime/benefits. You know, it wasn't so horrible "living low" on the hog. You just make do with what you've got. No one in my family was ever rich by any standard.

 

[highup]

I didn't really care then. I was stoned all the time.

But you could a bought more weed

 

[highup]

My wife really struggles with math as well. Despite a Masters Degree in Speech Therapy her skill level with math is barely Grade School level. Genius is a funny thing...............as is any and all measures of intelligence like IQ testing or SAT scores. They just dont account for the real variations human beings have in intellectual ability that are in fact immeasurable. My wife is CRAZY smart in all the ways where I'm deficient. Funny how that worked out for us.

I'm right there with your wife and daughter as far as math goes.
I failed in algebra in HS because I couldn't get past my own confusion (intolerance) of incorporating numbers and letters.
It was like scaling a high wall.
I've rebuilt two Chevy small blocks and also ported and reshaped the intake runners on a brand new set of heads. I do all my own automotive stuff.
Driving off into the hills was a weekend passion for decades. I couldn't get lost if I tried.
I've never hired anyone to do plumbing or electrical.
.......just don't ask me about who has the most apples, or if apples feel pain if you bite them.
Them is different parts of the brain.

 

[JPfloor]

It seems like every generation they come up with a new way to teach math. Now it’s what they’re calling “common core” I think it’s just to keep the parents confused…

What amazing me is they’re no longer teaching kids how to write in script. I have a 14 year old who I had to teach how to sign his name. And I get it that now everything is done on the computer but shouldn’t they then at least add typing as a required subject? It seems the hottest topics in school around here are sexual preferences and gender identification…. Posters in all the classrooms.

I think the lyrics, “when I think back on all the crap I learned in high school it’s a wonder I can think at all”, are gonna more true than ever for future generations.

 

[MSLI]

common core”

Can the summer help be trusted with the cash register?

 

[JPfloor]

Can the summer help be trusted with the cash register?

LOL Another good point. We have many straight A students, high school and college level. None of them can add or subtract, or count back. I try to teach them but to no avail. It’s all done for them by the POS system (register), which also knows the cost of each item, so why bother learning…

 

[JPfloor]

And to add to that minimum wage here is now at $15.00 an hour, slated to go up to 17 and then to $21.00 in a few years… Soooooo, In a few years I will have to pay a 16 year old who can’t add or subtract ( or tie their own shoes) $21.00 an hour to work a register…. And get them to clean the store? Good luck!

Aside from my paper route my fist job at 15 years of age was as a carpet installer’s helper. It paid $5.00 A DAY. A day wasn’t over until you were done. I was glad to have that job.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Here you go JPfloor & CFR:

 

[highup]

LOL Another good point. We have many straight A students, high school and college level. None of them can add or subtract, or count back. I try to teach them but to no avail. It’s all done for them by the POS system (register), which also knows the cost of each item, so why bother learning…

At some point, one must realize times have changed and nobody's ever going to need to do that again.
The time spent putting price tags on products and the error rate when checkers type in the numbers just aren't worth it.
Same with writing in script.
I haven't done that since I got out of grade school. It's more like artwork rather than anything functional.
...well, not artwork the way I did it, only when it's done correctly

 

[highup]

And to add to that minimum wage here is now at $15.00 an hour, slated to go up to 17 and then to $21.00 in a few years… Soooooo, In a few years I will have to pay a 16 year old who can’t add or subtract ( or tie their own shoes) $21.00 an hour to work a register…. And get them to clean the store? Good luck!

Aside from my paper route my fist job at 15 years of age was as a carpet installer’s helper. It paid $5.00 A DAY. A day wasn’t over until you were done. I was glad to have that job.

I think Grandpa paid me 4. I don't know how he could have afforded that even back in '68 or '69. He didn't go broke because I didn't help him very often back then. I think he would just grooming me
I felt I was robbing him blind.

 

[JPfloor]

At some point, one must realize times have changed and nobody's ever going to need to do that again.
The time spent putting price tags on products and the error rate when checkers type in the numbers just aren't worth it.
Same with writing in script.
I haven't done that since I got out of grade school. It's more like artwork rather than anything functional.
...well, not artwork the way I did it, only when it's done correctly

Yea, I guess you’re right. I never learned how to work an abacus…

Maybe teach writing script in art class? We still use it all the time for decorating cakes. I hate to think it will become a lost art but it does appear to be going in that direction…

 

[havasu]

My first full time job was delivering furniture, mostly mattresses, when I was a senior in high school. My neighbor owned 4 businesses called "Sleep City". He paid me $2.00 an hour, which was fine for pot and gas money. He called me into his office one day and offered me a $.25 cent raise if I was to cut my mid back long hair. That was $10 more a week, and all I thought was I could get me an entire 4 finger baggie of pot every week. Hell, that hair was cut off post haste.