My niece who is starting sixth grade is one of only a few sixth-graders in her school in pre-algebra which was nice to hear because at her age, I was also in pre-algebra. I believe I had a knack for math and I earned good grades in my accelerated classes. When I got to high school, I only needed two years of math in order to graduate, so my last math class was pre-calculus my sophomore year. That said, why is it now so hard for me to figure out how much of a tip I should leave a waitress?
I think the truth is that I’ve gotten lazy about using my natural math abilities. I used to be able to “feel” my way easily around numbers but now I pull out my PDA to do the thinking for me or just ask Randy to do the math in his head.
If it’s any kind of defense, I have improved my memory. It turns out that remembering things like people’s names or a list has a lot to do with learning a few tricks and taking a moment to actually concentrate on what one is trying to remember. (Again, here’s the theme of “paying attention” rearings its ugly head in my posts.) I think moving to so many new places in my adult life has helped keep these skills sharp; it seems like I’m always meeting new people, memorizing street names, etc.
As with most things, that which doesn’t get used gets lost. Hmm. . . I think I’ll add a subscription to “Games” magazine to my amazon.com wishlist. Perhaps there’s still time to whip my brain back into shape.
Math used to be torture when I was in school. The photo above reminds me of Calculus. I toiled and labored and tried so hard in that class, but I never really “got” what we were doing (A for effort, D- for the report card).
I felt like I was pouring over ancient texts to a lost civlilzation and I was trying to uncover their meaning with delicate tools and sheer determination.
Maybe that was my problem…………………..
or maybe I was looking out the window……………………………look! A bird!
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
now i have friends in pre-algebra.
one is a seventh grader.
one is a sixth grader.
luv ya!!!!!!!
taylor
You made her day!
Just a quick tip on tips. There are two widely used methods to calculate tips… (a) double the tax on your bill or (b) just calculate $2 for every $10 you spent on the meal–assuming you want to leave a 20% tip.
Now you know.
Thanks, Christian. The tax rate in Kentucky is only 6% so to be nicer, I should probably use your second method. As Randy and I have both worked in the restaurant biz, we do tend to tip well.