OK, I can’t keep a lid on this one anymore.   I went to the Post Office on the weekend to ship a package.  I was told the weight was 14.62 kg.  It had been a long day, and I was trying to mentally figure out what that was in pounds and had reached the “2x 14.62” part and was about to add the 10% to make the 2.2 pounds per kilogram part.

I was talking out loud at the time, and “mistakenly” said, “OK, so what’s that in pounds?”

The girl at the till, who I’m sure is a recent graduate of our local high school, tells me “Well, I think it’s 6kg to a pound…..”

Our educational system at work, folks.   Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic used to be the most important things to learn in school.  Now none of it is.  A recent radio interview with one of the trustees of the Public school board in Edmonton stated (I’m paraphrasing, I can’t find a link to it online to quote directly) that the world has moved on from such basic skills as spelling. Sure our kids haven’t mastered these skills, but they’re good at researching.

What? How do you research if you can’t spell?  That’s like saying “I’m going build you a house, but I’m only going to use drywall and screws, but no studs or concrete, but it will be just as strong.”

Please, don’t ever let anyone tell you that Canadians are better educated than in any other country.  I have tons of stories from my days at a local school board.