Lack of capable "tradesmen"

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by Rmarsh

Math and reading scores are down all over the country. Our educational system is going in the wrong direction. I think a return to the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics is in order. Have you noticed how kids today spell? Is it to be cool... or they really dont know or care?

Carpenters helpers may not need to know much.......but to excel advance and lead as a builder and tradesman those skills are essential.

I don’t mean to get political here but it appears to me that the politicians that make the funding decisions for schools are more interested in what bathroom a kid should be using, what books to ban (that promote individual thought and free thinking) and inserting their religious beliefs as opposed to actually giving todays children a solid educational foundation. The reason for all of this is to keep the ruling class in power and cripple the working class and to distract us from the real issues of this country by divisive social issues.
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[Rmarsh]

Originally Posted by Nebe

I don’t mean to get political here but it appears to me that the politicians that make the funding decisions for schools are more interested in what bathroom a kid should be using, what books to ban (that promote individual thought and free thinking) and inserting their religious beliefs as opposed to actually giving todays children a solid educational foundation. The reason for all of this is to keep the ruling class in power and cripple the working class and to distract us from the real issues of this country by divisive social issues.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Ill let the educators handle it..... but its pathetic.
I waited for the college age cashier to figure my change for a ten dollar bill the other day and i was embarrassed for her.

[trevier]

this is a great thread. I love the ones about terrible customers also. Years ago while building a house for customers, who later turned out to be total #^&#^&#^&#^&s. They wanted a security sensor on the door going over the garage storage area. Now the only way into that garage was from the second door or putting a ladder up against the house and breaking the window to get in. Now we were building in a nice part of town and they had a cop who lived across the street from the build. I told my security guy to put it in for them. Now it get's even better. They wanted a sensor to the the pull down attic stair going into the attic, kid you not. I just rolled my eyes and walked away. Worst customers we ever had in building. Got all of there cabinets from ikea and wanted us to put them together. Now this was before ikea was up our way. Needless to say we didn't do it. I could go on but I think everyone gets the jist of this one.

[Rmarsh]

Originally Posted by trevier

this is a great thread. I love the ones about terrible customers also. Years ago while building a house for customers, who later turned out to be total #^&#^&#^&#^&s. They wanted a security sensor on the door going over the garage storage area. Now the only way into that garage was from the second door or putting a ladder up against the house and breaking the window to get in. Now we were building in a nice part of town and they had a cop who lived across the street from the build. I told my security guy to put it in for them. Now it get's even better. They wanted a sensor to the the pull down attic stair going into the attic, kid you not. I just rolled my eyes and walked away. Worst customers we ever had in building. Got all of there cabinets from ikea and wanted us to put them together. Now this was before ikea was up our way. Needless to say we didn't do it. I could go on but I think everyone gets the jist of this one.

I have worked for a lot of nice people too.....not as interesting as the bad ones. One was a doctors wife who gave us a gift for our newborn son....another gave nice gift card to a fancy restaurant...another guy a lawyer gave me a thank you card and a nice book on classic cape cod homes........best one was a guy who owned a nice cottage on the vineyard and told me to take the place for a week.....we had a great time.

[Rmarsh]

Getting deeper into construction math beyond reading a ruler.
Over time I've learned the necessity of knowing the decimal equivalents of the inch.....and that every fraction is an expression of division.....1 divided by 32 equals .03125

The way I remember is that each 32nd is equal to .03 of an inch and so each 16th is .06. and so on. Some of these are rounded off.

1/32 = .03
1/16 = .06
3/32 = .09
1/8 = .125
Not often used is the decimal equivalents of one foot... but it works the same way.
Calculators are a useful tool but you have to understand the how and why of formulas.
Metric system might be less complicated......but I am more comfortable with our past and present system.
Math dont lie!

[spence]

Originally Posted by Rmarsh

Getting deeper into construction math beyond reading a ruler.

I remodeled a lot of my last house myself and without geometry and some algebra I couldn’t have gotten it done. I even made custom cabinets in my bathroom but you’d laugh at my design. They were solid though.

[piemma]

Indeed you did and a fine job it was! I was at the old house from when you bought it!

[nightfighter]

Originally Posted by Nebe

I don’t mean to get political here but it appears to me that the politicians that make the funding decisions for schools are more interested in what bathroom a kid should be using, what books to ban (that promote individual thought and free thinking) and inserting their religious beliefs as opposed to actually giving todays children a solid educational foundation. The reason for all of this is to keep the ruling class in power and cripple the working class and to distract us from the real issues of this country by divisive social issues.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

We need to return to teaching how to think as opposed to what to think....

[Rmarsh]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

We need to return to teaching how to think as opposed to what to think....

I agree Ross.
Most of my learning resulted from constant repetition... and Im referring to the three R's, not social studies.

Reading....Righting? and Rithmatic? who came up with that?

[Got Stripers]

And teach contractors that communication is a requirement of the job. We came to the cottage build out in the final stages one day and find they have placed the AC condensing unit so close to the outside shower rough out, that having the door where we wanted it to the future enclosure would be impossible. Had they asked we would have let them know two reasons that spot was a no go, nosey neighbor and the need for parking. We had to get the contractor to promise it would be moved at his expense in order to release any further payments.