Source: BroBible
Summary
A McDonald’s manager, Jacob Smeltzer, shared a TikTok video expressing concern about a high school student who paid $35 for a $7 meal. Smeltzer said the student was confused about the correct amount. The post sparked online debate about declining math skills among youth. Some attributed the issue to digital payments and reduced exposure to cash. Others suggested playing games like Monopoly could help. Test scores in reading and math have declined over the past decade, according to reports.
Our Reading
The habit gets a new name.
Students pay with cash, then panic.
Managers question math classes.
Comments suggest kids don’t know coins.
“Kids need to play Monopoly more.”
Author: Evan Null
‘Kids Need To Play Monopoly More’
Viewers in the comments section speculated what is causing the lack of math literacy.
“I’ll tell you what the problem is *ignores class* *gets homework* *sends picture to ChatGPT* ChatGPT answers all of these questions for me,” one TikTok commenter wrote.
“Kids need to play monopoly more,” another added.
“Sounds like I would have been about 30 bucks richer,” one joked.
Others mentioned that teenagers struggle counting coins for change.
Why Are Kids Struggling With Counting Money?
The kids are struggling with both reading and math; test scores continue to decrease every year, per PBS. ABC News reported that reading and math scores are at a historic low.
Assumptions are made that the pandemic caused the decline, but, in reality, it started a decade ago.
Hearing stories of kids struggling to count change or not knowing how much cash to give the McDonald’s worker is simply concerning. It can partially be blamed on the school system, budget cuts, and a shortage of teachers.
However, the shift to finances going digital can’t be overlooked. Money is primarily handled digitally, so the exchange of physical currency is becoming obsolete. Many retailers refuse cash and only accept credit cards or Apple Pay.
Handing cash over during a store transaction was a common practice, and change would be returned if you gave more than the amount charged. This frequent exchange made it easier to understand the value of money.
What’s The Solution?
With most things being digital nowadays, there are fewer opportunities to practice quick mental math on the spot. Not too long ago, kids had things like piggy banks. They would collect and count coins in their piggy bank to see if they could buy something special.
With fewer opportunities in the real world to do this, a hypothetical store can be made to simulate a store transaction, We Are Teachers shares. This will teach kids to learn what each coin’s value means and if they have enough money to buy the item in a made-up store.
By doing this, the kids can practice counting and spending the money they have collected.
BroBible has contacted Smeltzer via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. This post will be updated if he replies back.
The post McDonald’s Employee Works By A School—Now He Says He’s ‘Worried About The Future’ appeared first on BroBible.
