this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2026

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New York teachers stunned to learn some students can’t read time on old clocks after phone ban comes into play (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

202 comments fedilink hide all child comments

At least 31 states and the District of Columbia restrict cell phones in schools

New York City teachers say the state’s recently implemented cell phone ban in schools has showed that numerous students no longer know how to tell time on an old-fashioned clock.

“That's a major skill that they're not used to at all,” Tiana Millen, an assistant principal at Cardozo High School in Queens, told Gothamist of what she’s noticed after the ban, which went into effect in September.

Students in the city’s school system are meant to learn basic time-telling skills in the first and second grade, according to officials, though it appears children have fallen out of practice doing so in an increasingly digital world.

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[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They still teach analog clocks in kindergarten or 1st grade. All my kids learned.

[–] ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Possibly the case here as well. I learned roman numerals in school enough to pass whatever was on tests, but everything past 18 is a mystery to me now; probably because there isn't a final fantasy 20 or whatever yet.

Unless it's deeply internalized, knowledge atrophies from disuse.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Possibly the case here as well. I learned roman numerals in school enough to pass whatever was on tests

Note that there are multiple systems of writing them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_numerals

While subtractive notation for 4, 40, and 400 (IV, XL, and CD) has been the usual form since Roman times [citation needed], additive notation to represent these numbers (IIII, XXXX, and CCCC)[9] very frequently continued to be used, including in compound numbers like 24 (XXIIII),[10] 74 (LXXIIII),[11] and 490 (CCCCLXXXX).[12] The additive forms for 9, 90, and 900 (VIIII,[9] LXXXX,[13] and DCCCC[14]) have also been used, although less often.

The two conventions could be mixed in the same document or inscription, even in the same numeral. For example, on the numbered gates to the Colosseum, IIII is systematically used instead of IV, but subtractive notation is used for XL; consequently, gate 44 is labelled XLIIII.[15][16]

Especially on tombstones and other funerary inscriptions, 5 and 50 have been occasionally written IIIII and XXXXX instead of V and L, and there are instances such as IIIIII and XXXXXX rather than VI or LX.[17][18]

Modern clock faces that use Roman numerals still very often use IIII for four o'clock but IX for nine o'clock, a practice that goes back to very early clocks such as the Wells Cathedral clock of the late 14th century.[19][20][21] However, this is far from universal: for example, the clock on the Palace of Westminster tower (commonly known as Big Ben) uses a subtractive IV for 4 o'clock.[20][c]

[–] FirstCircle@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

IIII for four o’clock but IX for nine o’clock

Very interesting - I have a newer Timex with RN on my (left) wrist right now and never thought about alternate notations for the numbers. Turns out it uses "IIII" for 4 but "IX" for 9 rather than spelling it all out in additive form. The designers made a curious choice for people wearing the watch on their left - the 9 o'clock "IX" is upside down so that it reads "XI" from the point of view of the wearer rather than, thus it looks like 9 is 11.

We had to learn RN when I was a kid, and I assume that's only because there were a few RN clocks remaining out in the world. I've never felt like I need to process the numerals on a clock anyway - once you know what position corresponds to what hour you're good to go. Many clocks and watches don't have numerals at all and that doesn't impair most people from using them.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago

I remember seeing a clock with roman numerals at a beach house as a little kid and thinking it was a clock for ghosts or skeletons.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago

the 9 o’clock “IX” is upside down so that it reads “XI” from the point of view of the wearer

What do you mean? For roman numeral clock faces, all the ones I've ever seen have had them oriented radiating from the center.

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So happy to hear this. I thought maybe I was just ancient…

[–] SlimePirate@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 days ago

They teach it but since they will not use this skill they will forget how to