"Carmen Cobb is harvesting her cornfield. She planted 270 rows of corn, and there are 130 corncobs in each row. It will take Carmen 18 hours to harvest her corn. How many corncobs did Carmen Cobb collect every hour?"
Whew. Remember the days of fifth-grade word problems? At the time, they may not have seemed important, but they foster knowledge application and problem solving skills - which just so happen to be essential in construction services.
Jim Heard, a Garver senior construction observer, recently visited several fifth-grade classes in Jay, Oklahoma. During his interaction with 100 students, Jim demonstrated why math and science are important on the job site. Jim's visit was a hit, and the teacher sent Garver the following thank you note:
"The students really enjoyed getting to hear how the math and science they use in class can be applied to the real world! I've had parents tell me that since Mr. Heard's talk, their children have quizzed them on information about highways and bridges as they drive over them. What better way to get kids involved in learning!"
And don't think that you're off the hook. Put that calculator in a drawer and grab a trusty pencil. How many corncobs were collected every hour?
