cakediva
Drama Llama
Making the world a sweeter place one cake at a time!
Posts: 7,440 
Location: Fergus, Ontario
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Post by cakediva on Apr 5, 2017 14:31:42 GMT
A friend of mine owns a retail store. She has a co-op student right now, I think she's Grade 11 or 12. A week or two ago, she had her address & mail out some envelopes for her - product samples, thank you cards, small stuff like that just requiring a simple envelope & stamp. Monday, she got them all back. The student had stamped the store logo/address stamp in the middle of the envelope, and put the "send to" address in the top corner. It never occurred to my friend that a 17 year old would not know how to properly address and mail an envelope! We were chatting about it this morning - that it is really sad that some kids these days are not taught things like this. It is all electronic, or bills come by email. I know my girls would know how, but I think I need to sit down with DS and make sure he knows!  |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 15, 2024 21:20:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 14:35:09 GMT
I don't have a teenager but that's something I remember learning to do at school, we had to address a few envelopes as homework too. Mine were deemed to be beautiful  I'm guessing that's not something school teaches anymore? |
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Post by dockmaster on Apr 5, 2017 14:36:01 GMT
Yes, my children learned this skill in like 1st grade. SMH
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Post by debmast on Apr 5, 2017 14:37:24 GMT
Mine would. (she's 16 - my 20 year old knows as well LOL)
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Post by supersoda on Apr 5, 2017 14:37:28 GMT
That's funny!
My DD had to double check when she was sending out thank you notes after graduation--at least she had the good sense to make sure she was doing it right. Kids never send mail anymore, so it's not really surprising they don't know how.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 5, 2017 14:38:20 GMT
Of course - has the girl never sent thank you cards before? Not to mention my kids help me with the annual Christmas cards, so I have no doubt they know how to address an envelope.
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Post by mellowyellow on Apr 5, 2017 14:39:24 GMT
Yes, my dd just sent out thank you notes for the sale of her hog in FFA.
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Post by cmpeter on Apr 5, 2017 14:39:44 GMT
Both my kids know where the addresses go. But my 21 year old recently asked me to confirm where the stamp went. He thought he knew but wanted to make sure before he stuck it down.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 5, 2017 14:39:55 GMT
That's funny! My DD had to double check when she was sending out thank you notes after graduation--at least she had the good sense to make sure she was doing it right. Kids never send mail anymore, so it's not really surprising they don't know how. My kids still send out thank you cards after birthdays, and we still receive them from a fair number of friends and relatives. I don't know that I'd agree that kids never send mail. |
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quiltedbrain
Full Member
Posts: 429
Jun 26, 2014 3:34:53 GMT
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Post by quiltedbrain on Apr 5, 2017 14:40:14 GMT
I had to teach my pre-teen DD how to address an envelope a few years ago. While I remember learning this in elementary school back in the mid to late '70's, she had not been taught to that point. If whatever incident prompted me teaching her (I can't remember what it was...yikes!) hadn't happened, I'm think some other time would have come up to teach her, but I can't say that with 100% conviction. So, I think this situation could have easily happened to her. It's just not a skill that is utilized much anymore.  |
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Post by pondrunner on Apr 5, 2017 14:40:38 GMT
By that age I hope so yes, but with everything we do electronically now I think that some of my kids have never had to address an evvelope and might not now how. We forget that it's a very different generation than we grew up in.
We learned in school because we had penpals, now our kids have e-penpals
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Post by mom on Apr 5, 2017 14:41:50 GMT
Mine would.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Apr 5, 2017 14:44:34 GMT
Mine would. She addressed party envelopes as a child, sent Thank You notes, sent mail from camp, etc.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Apr 5, 2017 14:45:02 GMT
My 6-year-old knows how to do this. He adresses envelopes of artwork to gramdma often. Edit: I should add that he hasn't memorized grandma's address; I write that down on separate paper and he writes it himself. But placement, yes, he knows proper placement.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 15, 2024 21:20:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 14:46:05 GMT
They do, but it doesn't surprise me. Most everything they do now is done online from their laptops or phones. Bill pay, school registration, even paying each other. They simply don't have much of a need to send out a physical piece of mail anymore.
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Post by myshelly on Apr 5, 2017 14:47:30 GMT
Yes.
My kids all had pen pals in K-2nd as part of learning to read/write.
But I will admit, we use very little mail.
We receive and pay bills online.
We don't send Christmas cards, or any cards.
We don't write thank you cards (all gifts are given/received in person, so we thank the giver then).
I haven't bought stamps in at least 5 years and I probably haven't been to the post office in closer to 10.
Heck, we only look in our mailbox once a week. Sometimes less.
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Post by littlemama on Apr 5, 2017 14:48:34 GMT
They learn the skill in 1st grade, but have no further instruction, nor opportunity to use the skill; therefore, they don't remember and don't know how when the time comes to use the skill they learned at age 6.
We had a couple of teenagers in our office helping stuff window envelopes. When the owner of the company went to seal and stamp them, she found that they had put the mailers in the window envelopes backwards, so the window showed no address. THAT, my friends, should be basic common sense.
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Post by psoccer on Apr 5, 2017 14:51:57 GMT
Mine do, they have to send out buyer letters for their animals, but I am sure I had to do a refresher when they first started. I remember it being taught in 2nd grade when students have to write a friendly letter, but that is so long ago. I work with middle school students so this is a good reminder for me to do a mini lesson.
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Post by gar on Apr 5, 2017 14:52:23 GMT
Yes, past the teen years, but yes.
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Post by mcscrapper on Apr 5, 2017 14:52:50 GMT
Mine would. She addressed party envelopes as a child, sent Thank You notes, sent mail from camp, etc.  This is almost exactly what I was going to type. Not to mention how many cards and things she has received herself. I know traditional mail is not used like it used to be but this is still something a kid over the age of 10 should know how to do. SaveSave |
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Post by SweetieBugs on Apr 5, 2017 14:54:27 GMT
My office hired a 23 year old college graduate in late January and she didn't know where to place a stamp on an envelope nor did she know what "endorse a check" meant when making a deposit--even after I explained it 3 times. I find that she as well as another recent fresh from college hire are lacking a lot of basic real world knowledge (apparently they don't teach a personal finance class in 8th grade anymore).
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PLurker
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,744
Location: Behind the Cheddar Curtain
Jun 28, 2014 3:48:49 GMT
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Post by PLurker on Apr 5, 2017 14:58:41 GMT
Mine would because "Thank you note!" I made them send them before they could enjoy whatever they received, lest they (we) forget. But they do it so rarely that they'd probably double check that they did it right. It's a given in older generation because it was commonplace. It's not now so I wouldn't be surprised kids wouldn't know. Just like corded or rotary phones or record players and just like we don't all know how to "milk a cow" or some necessity from the further past.
I think it's human nature to forget that our experiences, especially the "obvious", aren't everyone else's.
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Post by myshelly on Apr 5, 2017 14:59:31 GMT
My office hired a 23 year old college graduate in late January and she didn't know where to place a stamp on an envelope nor did she know what "endorse a check" meant when making a deposit--even after I explained it 3 times. I find that she as well as another recent fresh from college hire are lacking a lot of basic real world knowledge (apparently they don't teach a personal finance class in 8th grade anymore). I've never heard of a personal finance class in a school. They didn't have them when I was in school. I do think it would be a good idea, though. |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,827
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Apr 5, 2017 15:03:28 GMT
My office hired a 23 year old college graduate in late January and she didn't know where to place a stamp on an envelope nor did she know what "endorse a check" meant when making a deposit--even after I explained it 3 times. I find that she as well as another recent fresh from college hire are lacking a lot of basic real world knowledge (apparently they don't teach a personal finance class in 8th grade anymore). My son, 16, would have no idea what to do if I told him to "endorse a check". However, if I told him to sign it he would know. Sometimes it's terminology. Not in your case since you explained it multiple times, but in others. He also would know how to address and stamp an envelope, but only because every time a piece of mail has his name on it I have him open it (Christmas cards, he's had a few magazine subs, etc). We have a small family, so all thank you's have been in person and he hasn't had a big friend birthday party. If not for him opening mail, I don't know that he'd know. |
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Post by melanell on Apr 5, 2017 15:04:02 GMT
I know for a fact that my 14 year old knows how. I'd have to ask the 6 year old, though.
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LeaP
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,939
Location: Los Angeles, CA where 405 meets 101
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Post by LeaP on Apr 5, 2017 15:04:14 GMT
My 13 year old would know because she has some goofy auction app where she buys and sells flat junk (or treasure, if you are 13). My 16 year old might struggle even though she sends stuff to her pen pals in Canada and Mexico. She might not make the leap from international to domestic.
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Post by epeanymous on Apr 5, 2017 15:05:26 GMT
Mine would, but just to point out, I have to show my mother how to pay for things online (which is how 90% of her bills are handled these days).
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Gravity
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,229
Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on Apr 5, 2017 15:06:20 GMT
Yes, all three of my children knew how to address and stamp an envelope at an early age. As soon as they were able to write, they were expected to write their own thank you notes for gifts and such.
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 5, 2017 15:06:23 GMT
Mine would have because he had been addressing his own thank you notes since he was about 9 or 10.
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Apr 5, 2017 15:06:56 GMT
Probably not. While they've received letters before, I don't think they've ever sent one. I can't remember the last letter I sent - maybe a response to an invitation. Even then, the envelope was pre-addressed and stamped.
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