Sat Feb 22, 2014, 05:13 PM

COLGATE4 (14,732 posts)

Really sad after buying Girl Scout cookies.

Bought two boxes of Girl Scout cookies outside my favorite Publix today (bought them because a) I love them and b) I love even more rubbing the Fundies' noses in it by supporting the 'Evil" Girl Scouts.) There were four or five girl scouts selling them, all of them 5th graders from the local school. The cookies were $4 a box, so I tendered a $20 to the girl manning the cash till. She was unable to figure out how much to give me back, even after resorting to counting on her fingers to try and figure it out. Finally a (her?) grandfather with the group came up and told her how much to give me back. Unbelievable from a 5th grader.

If this is at all indicative of the state of basic education in the country today, we are royally and truly screwed.

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192 replies	Author	Time	Post
Really sad after buying Girl Scout cookies. (Original post)	COLGATE4	Feb 2014	OP
I asked my third grader and knew how much change you would recieve. nt	ZombieHorde	Feb 2014	#1
Maybe she was hoping you'd give up and buy 5 boxes.	winter is coming	Feb 2014	#2
Yeah. Chiseler.	Hassin Bin Sober	Feb 2014	#3
And if she'd been really really good at her job, she would have offered him	petronius	Feb 2014	#28
This teacher would have foisted a math lesson on her.	roody	Feb 2014	#4
Thin mints could probably contain 10% razor blades...	Lost_Count	Feb 2014	#89
I made a huge mistake. That's usually what I get, blades last weeks! LOL! But, I should	RKP5637	Feb 2014	#107
Is the palm oil hydrogenated?	MrScorpio	Feb 2014	#95
Don't think so. But it is still	roody	Feb 2014	#126
I give a donation -	enlightenment	Feb 2014	#177
People need to know how destructive	roody	Feb 2014	#181
Then stand on the other side	enlightenment	Feb 2014	#182
They were terribly offended by	roody	Feb 2014	#183
I'm sure the donation	enlightenment	Feb 2014	#187
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#5
my first grader could have figured that out...	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#6
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#7
$20-8=? is too advanced for high schoolers? Uh huh	uppityperson	Feb 2014	#8
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#11
If she was a special ed student,	narnian60	Feb 2014	#142
good fucking grief...	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#145
Could you please explain your vulgar response to me?	narnian60	Feb 2014	#146
yes; you received that response because	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#147
Neither one,	narnian60	Feb 2014	#148
see #151 n/t	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#152
Your response was extremely polite, and I noticed you	senseandsensibility	Feb 2014	#149
Thank you. I did get a response if you'll go back and look at it.	narnian60	Feb 2014	#150
I saw that. It was posted while I was responding to you, I think.	senseandsensibility	Feb 2014	#153
i am quite sure that the person posting the OP	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#151
I've been a teacher for thirty years, and happen to have a lot of experience	senseandsensibility	Feb 2014	#154
Thank you sense, I was writing while you posted.	narnian60	Feb 2014	#157
did you even read my post?	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#160
Ok, I think I get it now.	narnian60	Feb 2014	#156
i was rude... because you didn't read the OP	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#161
Same thing I thought,	goldent	Feb 2014	#172
I hear ya!	narnian60	Feb 2014	#179
That thought occurred to me also. She may have been doing the best that she could.	meti57b	Feb 2014	#171
Perhaps you missed a teaching moment, I know Grandpa did	Brother Buzz	Feb 2014	#9
Maybe he explained it to her after the customer had walked away.	SMC22307	Feb 2014	#10
As opposed to a teabagger:	Spirochete	Feb 2014	#39
Heh heh. I'm guessing they're boycotting Girl Scout cookies...	SMC22307	Feb 2014	#42
It's the new merit badges in satan worshipping,	MADem	Feb 2014	#51
Damn, these new scouts sound a lot more fun...	SMC22307	Feb 2014	#59
Thank you.	onyourleft	Feb 2014	#15
Possibly, but the schools missed years of teaching moments.	joeglow3	Feb 2014	#62
I will never sell my local schools short	Brother Buzz	Feb 2014	#65
They have heard the teachers explain	roody	Feb 2014	#129
The why did teacher graduate them to the next grade?	joeglow3	Feb 2014	#138
It is not up to the teacher	narnian60	Feb 2014	#143
Yes, he should have said it's $15	Renew Deal	Feb 2014	#85
I can do you one better.	llmart	Feb 2014	#12
I'll be honest, when our daughter was in fifth grade she would come down and	madinmaryland	Feb 2014	#13
3 x 8	Jesus Malverde	Feb 2014	#14
Math skills went down after letting them use calculators.	hobbit709	Feb 2014	#16
We were not allowed to even use a calculator till we got to Algebra II	LostOne4Ever	Feb 2014	#19
I see first graders using them here.	hobbit709	Feb 2014	#20
We got to use slide rules in 8th grade.	BarbaRosa	Feb 2014	#55
Reminds me of this	laundry_queen	Feb 2014	#114
In 4th grade our school principal visited our math class & called out questions,	CrispyQ	Feb 2014	#120
Maybe she was nervous	Matariki	Feb 2014	#17
Nope. Not in the least nervous.	COLGATE4	Feb 2014	#18
The rescue is a clue to her lack of math skill.	roody	Feb 2014	#133
My nine-year-old is wicked-smart	Codeine	Feb 2014	#21
I once went to a baby shower filled with female grad student engineers, and when someone	pnwmom	Feb 2014	#33
I'm ok with using your fingers. Robert Gallager, the famous and brilliant	goldent	Feb 2014	#173
You might be interested in this article, about how different cultures have different	pnwmom	Feb 2014	#175
The counting on fingers thing makes me crazy	dflprincess	Feb 2014	#48
Maybe that's why it drives you crazy -- because you were strictly forbidden not to do it.	pnwmom	Feb 2014	#174
The girl may have a learning disability	penultimate	Feb 2014	#22
That's what I see as the danger here too.	CBHagman	Feb 2014	#23
That was my first thought. Either that or an "invisible special need" like autism.	Butterbean	Feb 2014	#25
Thanks. n/t	lumberjack_jeff	Feb 2014	#109
Almost the same thing here, but...	Maeve	Feb 2014	#24
The problem isn't basic education	pintobean	Feb 2014	#26
Sure, but does it have the recommended daily allowance? n/t	Beartracks	Feb 2014	#74
Oh shit!	Incitatus	Feb 2014	#167
Yes	pintobean	Feb 2014	#168
Bought them twice so far (two different locations,) girls had no trouble making change.	Gormy Cuss	Feb 2014	#27
Maybe she has a learning disability.	JaneyVee	Feb 2014	#29
Exactly. Or she was very anxious.	HuckleB	Feb 2014	#132
Easiest way to make change	supernova	Feb 2014	#30
When I was a young girl in retail, that was the standard way clerks etc were taught to make change	El_Johns	Feb 2014	#43
Remember before electronic cash registers	indie9197	Feb 2014	#110
Maybe she's bashful about dealing with adults and just had brain freeze.	pnwmom	Feb 2014	#31
Exactly	treestar	Feb 2014	#101
Yes, that can happen to anyone at anytime.	stevenleser	Feb 2014	#106
Exactly	peabody	Feb 2014	#115
I had a sister who did just fine except when she felt she was put on the spot.	pnwmom	Feb 2014	#116
Your GS cookies are only $4?	Newsjock	Feb 2014	#32
Weird. All four bucks here in California.	Codeine	Feb 2014	#35
Only?	Curmudgeoness	Feb 2014	#36
I have been paying $3.50 per box. nt	avebury	Feb 2014	#41
$4 in PA.	WinkyDink	Feb 2014	#57
Mine are $2	JVS	Feb 2014	#81
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#191
Sucker	Renew Deal	Feb 2014	#87
Did you buy them outside your dispensary?	CrispyQ	Feb 2014	#121
A teacher from a local high school who is a friend of mine was complaining the other day...	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#34
Unbelievable.	avebury	Feb 2014	#44
Parents nowadays never side with teachers.	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#47
They seem to not realize that learning begins at home.	avebury	Feb 2014	#56
There's little parenting going on nowadays.	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#58
And too many schools wuss out and won't fail kids	joeglow3	Feb 2014	#63
They would have to fail all kids that aren't doing their homework, reading the books, etc...	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#66
What does moving them on gain?	joeglow3	Feb 2014	#71
Here's the thing - the parents think the kids are not learning because of "bad teachers..."	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#135
So, what is the answer?	joeglow3	Feb 2014	#137
I don't really know. Maybe exposing the fact that parents expect their little darlings...	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#140
I remember a story quite a while back where a teacher caught	avebury	Feb 2014	#141
Exactly.	avebury	Feb 2014	#82
True, and there's a second problem...	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#134
It's like that in University too!!	laundry_queen	Feb 2014	#117
Absolutely! Students nowadays complain about any schoolwork at all, but even worse...	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#127
Yeah, I'll never understand that	laundry_queen	Feb 2014	#163
It's hard to instill the desire to make any effort on a child, when he/she is surrounded...	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#166
I joined a fiction writers group recently.	CrispyQ	Feb 2014	#122
That sounds great! nt	Sarah Ibarruri	Feb 2014	#128
I agree with what you said	Captain Stern	Feb 2014	#37
Why not?	seattledo	Feb 2014	#72
The plural of anecdote is not anecdata. nt	Democracyinkind	Feb 2014	#79
Sample size.	Captain Stern	Feb 2014	#84
My guess is that the youngster got panicked at the moment and went blank. nt	ladjf	Feb 2014	#38
it is not unheard of	Skittles	Feb 2014	#53
Does the price of Girl Scout cookie vary by location?	avebury	Feb 2014	#40
Or maybe	pipi_k	Feb 2014	#45
You just described me!	catchnrelease	Feb 2014	#67
I'm just plain terrible at math, too. I have	LibDemAlways	Feb 2014	#78
"Sometimes people's brains are just not wired for certain subjects/skills"	deutsey	Feb 2014	#86
I work with adults that have that issue	Madam Mossfern	Feb 2014	#92
For all who	pipi_k	Feb 2014	#105
Math requirements	catchnrelease	Feb 2014	#184
Me too...	pipi_k	Feb 2014	#189
I ran a concession stand at HS football games for four years	Fumesucker	Feb 2014	#46
My 4th grade teacher made me stay after until I learned multiplication tables.....	L0oniX	Feb 2014	#49
This will make you even sadder	jmowreader	Feb 2014	#50
This message was self-deleted by its author	mucifer	Feb 2014	#52
You don't know this child.	madaboutharry	Feb 2014	#54
People cannot do simple math anymore...	awoke_in_2003	Feb 2014	#60
the girl could have been learning disabled or something along those lines	dlwickham	Feb 2014	#61
Some kids haven't mastered basic math.	MissB	Feb 2014	#64
I wouldn't worry to much	Notafraidtoo	Feb 2014	#68
^^^This.	Iggo	Feb 2014	#103
She might have dyscalculia	jeff47	Feb 2014	#69
Maybe she was nervous. Or maybe she caught a whiff of your judgemental bullshit	Beausoir	Feb 2014	#70
uncalled for	Liberal_in_LA	Feb 2014	#73
^^^ and This.	Iggo	Feb 2014	#104
^^ha! indeed.	nashville_brook	Feb 2014	#124
Awwww do feel good about looking down on a little girl	abelenkpe	Feb 2014	#75
I don't think we can really let one kid be the meter of our education system.	Deep13	Feb 2014	#76
Where do you live? The kids in my town are smarties...	Walk away	Feb 2014	#77
They don't have some kind of math merit badge?	JVS	Feb 2014	#80
I learned math from these guys	tinymontgomery	Feb 2014	#83
I learned how to run a register by doing the math in my head	Renew Deal	Feb 2014	#88
Why would you do that?	Madam Mossfern	Feb 2014	#93
To get a bigger bill (a 5 instead of 4 ones) and keep my coins under $1	Renew Deal	Feb 2014	#97
It's so simple to figure out. How can you not see that?	valerief	Feb 2014	#113
Yes, I am "ancient" too	Madam Mossfern	Feb 2014	#159
The way we calculated change was	valerief	Feb 2014	#162
I did it that way too.	Madam Mossfern	Feb 2014	#169
i always counted it back to the customer	ProdigalJunkMail	Feb 2014	#170
The OP is an overreaction to the math performance of one child. nt	ladjf	Feb 2014	#90
Have you ever taught math to 5th graders? (I have.)	Sancho	Feb 2014	#91
Actually I ran three of the State Department	COLGATE4	Feb 2014	#99
Politely, you're making my point...	Sancho	Feb 2014	#144
I have taught them also.	roody	Feb 2014	#180
Then you know it's not always simple...	Sancho	Feb 2014	#186
dyscalculia can occur in normal-IQ kids	mainer	Feb 2014	#94
Just another opportunity to throw down a shaming	demwing	Feb 2014	#96
I believe that calling attention to a patent example	COLGATE4	Feb 2014	#98
But it's NOT a "patent example of our failing educational system"	demwing	Feb 2014	#100
If it's indeed	pipi_k	Feb 2014	#108
The plural of anecdote is not data.	HuckleB	Feb 2014	#131
Same here! I bought one box, gave the little girl a 10, and she could not figure out the	RKP5637	Feb 2014	#102
Probably a home schooler or charter schooler. nt	valerief	Feb 2014	#111
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#123
It may have been performance anxiety.	antigone382	Feb 2014	#112
Your post made me remember	pipi_k	Feb 2014	#118
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#119
I, on the other had, bought 2 boxes	Control-Z	Feb 2014	#125
Please don't generalize from an individual kid.	HuckleB	Feb 2014	#130
That is kind of hard for a 5th grader.	Cleita	Feb 2014	#136
Last night I was watching a local high school quiz show called "The Brain Game"	Boomerproud	Feb 2014	#139
She could have had a disability, reminds me of this scene from Rain Man.	edbermac	Feb 2014	#155
I see a lot of alternative explanations being offered	fried eggs	Feb 2014	#158
Buy something at McDonalds say for $5.50 then give them	doc03	Feb 2014	#164
They should have Girl Scout cookies vending machines	SummerSnow	Feb 2014	#165
Florida hates it's public schools	DonCoquixote	Feb 2014	#176
I know. When we had our little factory, I had to teach them how	WhiteTara	Feb 2014	#178
To be fair, she may not have been taught on regrouping.	joshcryer	Feb 2014	#185
ew things get me feeling so warm, incredibly so fuzzy, so absolutely validated...	LanternWaste	Feb 2014	#188
Great post.	senseandsensibility	Feb 2014	#190
Message auto-removed	Name removed	Feb 2014	#192

Response to COLGATE4 (Original post)

Sat Feb 22, 2014, 05:24 PM

ZombieHorde (29,047 posts)

Really sad after buying Girl Scout cookies.

1. I asked my third grader and knew how much change you would recieve. nt

2. Maybe she was hoping you'd give up and buy 5 boxes.

3. Yeah. Chiseler.

28. And if she'd been really really good at her job, she would have offered him

4. This teacher would have foisted a math lesson on her.

89. Thin mints could probably contain 10% razor blades...

107. I made a huge mistake. That's usually what I get, blades last weeks! LOL! But, I should

95. Is the palm oil hydrogenated?

126. Don't think so. But it is still

177. I give a donation -

181. People need to know how destructive

182. Then stand on the other side

183. They were terribly offended by

187. I'm sure the donation

6. my first grader could have figured that out...

8. $20-8=? is too advanced for high schoolers? Uh huh

142. If she was a special ed student,

145. good fucking grief...

146. Could you please explain your vulgar response to me?

147. yes; you received that response because

148. Neither one,

152. see #151 n/t

149. Your response was extremely polite, and I noticed you

150. Thank you. I did get a response if you'll go back and look at it.

153. I saw that. It was posted while I was responding to you, I think.

151. i am quite sure that the person posting the OP

154. I've been a teacher for thirty years, and happen to have a lot of experience

157. Thank you sense, I was writing while you posted.

160. did you even read my post?

156. Ok, I think I get it now.

161. i was rude... because you didn't read the OP

172. Same thing I thought,

179. I hear ya!

171. That thought occurred to me also. She may have been doing the best that she could.

9. Perhaps you missed a teaching moment, I know Grandpa did

10. Maybe he explained it to her after the customer had walked away.

39. As opposed to a teabagger:

42. Heh heh. I'm guessing they're boycotting Girl Scout cookies...

51. It's the new merit badges in satan worshipping,

59. Damn, these new scouts sound a lot more fun...

15. Thank you.

62. Possibly, but the schools missed years of teaching moments.

65. I will never sell my local schools short

129. They have heard the teachers explain

138. The why did teacher graduate them to the next grade?

143. It is not up to the teacher

85. Yes, he should have said it's $15

12. I can do you one better.

13. I'll be honest, when our daughter was in fifth grade she would come down and

14. 3 x 8

16. Math skills went down after letting them use calculators.

19. We were not allowed to even use a calculator till we got to Algebra II

20. I see first graders using them here.

55. We got to use slide rules in 8th grade.

114. Reminds me of this

120. In 4th grade our school principal visited our math class & called out questions,

17. Maybe she was nervous

18. Nope. Not in the least nervous.

133. The rescue is a clue to her lack of math skill.

21. My nine-year-old is wicked-smart

33. I once went to a baby shower filled with female grad student engineers, and when someone

173. I'm ok with using your fingers. Robert Gallager, the famous and brilliant

175. You might be interested in this article, about how different cultures have different

48. The counting on fingers thing makes me crazy

174. Maybe that's why it drives you crazy -- because you were strictly forbidden not to do it.

22. The girl may have a learning disability

23. That's what I see as the danger here too.

25. That was my first thought. Either that or an "invisible special need" like autism.

109. Thanks. n/t

24. Almost the same thing here, but...

26. The problem isn't basic education

74. Sure, but does it have the recommended daily allowance? n/t

167. Oh shit!

168. Yes

27. Bought them twice so far (two different locations,) girls had no trouble making change.

29. Maybe she has a learning disability.

132. Exactly. Or she was very anxious.

30. Easiest way to make change

43. When I was a young girl in retail, that was the *standard* way clerks etc were taught to make change

43. When I was a young girl in retail, that was the standard way clerks etc were taught to make change