There are so many jobs, but people just don't want to work
Perhaps there's something more than pay keeping people from taking the many jobs on offer
Boxing Day was yesterday. I was back in the town where I was raised to visit family. Big family meals aren’t part of the tradition, going out to a local diner is. So, off we went.
There, we chatted up the friendly wait staff. My family had been going there for decades. The staff knew them well. A bit of catching up on families and the holidays. Then, a comment on how long it took to get seated and the inability to sit outside on the warm Southern California afternoon.
Our server noted that they were short staffed. The listings had been posted. The customers tend to tip well. The staff are well paid, no complaints. She then offered what I recognized as the reason why they are really short staffed. New hires must memorize the entire, rather large and complicated menu. People had been fired for not doing so in their first few months.
Consider that. In an age with instant access to the world’s information at our fingertips, this employer requires employees to know every facet of the menu, not just the dishes and their frequently updated prices, but every option for those dishes.
Having a bit of fun, I asked the AI chat bot over at ChatGPT how difficult it is to memorize the menu at our location, Norm’s Diner. Below is it’s response.
It is generally not necessary or expected for a server or bartender at Norm's Diner (or any restaurant) to memorize the entire menu. Instead, it is more common for servers to familiarize themselves with the menu and be able to answer questions and make recommendations, but to also have access to the menu or be able to refer customers to it if needed. It is also common for restaurants to have daily or weekly specials that are not listed on the regular menu, so servers may need to memorize or have access to information about those items as well.
That being said, the difficulty of memorizing the menu at Norm's Diner (or any restaurant) will depend on various factors such as the size of the menu, the complexity of the dishes and ingredients, and the individual's own memory and learning abilities. Some people may find it easier to memorize menu items and others may find it more challenging. It is generally helpful to practice and review the menu items regularly in order to become more familiar with them and to be able to recall them more easily.
Thus, if you’re like me and have trouble with memory work and linear, on-demand recitation, Norm’s Diner’s many server openings are not open to you. It got me thinking about the many advertised openings and how many of them have these rather arbitrary and seemingly unnecessary requirements.
From there, I was thinking of my role as an English and Special Education teacher. The current focus of education is on making meaning from texts, finding the main idea and supporting details from within these texts. It’s not, as it was when I was young, on memorizing large blocks of the classics. The more that I pondered it, the more I thought about how memory work is largely gone from the classrooms in which I work. But, I know that my small sample size of Inclusion Classrooms is not indicative of the overall education environment in this country. Again, I turned to ChatGPT for answers. I wanted to know, how much memory work is required of American high school students.
It is difficult to provide a definitive answer to this question, as the amount of memory work required of American high school students can vary greatly depending on the specific school, grade level, and individual student. However, in general, high school students are expected to learn and retain a significant amount of information as they progress through their education. This can include memorizing facts, dates, definitions, formulas, and other important information related to their coursework.
In order to effectively retain this information, students may need to engage in various forms of memory work, such as reviewing and studying their notes, completing practice exercises and quizzes, and reviewing material regularly. Some students may find it helpful to use specific memory techniques, such as mnemonic devices or the "spaced repetition" method, to aid in their learning and retention of information.
It is important for students to develop good study habits and to find the strategies that work best for them in order to effectively learn and retain the material they are studying. It is also important for students to seek help from their teachers or other resources if they are having difficulty remembering and retaining information.
So, according to the friendly Chat Bot, American students still need memory work skills to make it through school.
Maybe, students just don’t like doing memory work. Maybe they don’t see the value in it.
Next, my thoughts turned to those that might need to improve their memorization skills. What if they’re like me, autistic and non-verbal with other issues like dyslexia. Is there no help for us?
I recalled a conversation had not too long ago in another area of my life, Freemasonry. I was speaking with a fellow Mason about learning differences and how they impact and influence the Masonic experience. In my jurisdiction, Masons are expected to memorize large chunks of verbal information, then recite it all back to the Lodge to move from one Degree to the next. This, I shared, has bee a barrier to my progress. I shared how my Lodge (and a loving Brother) was able to accommodate me, to a point. Given the California Masonic Code, (the Masonic Law), there was a point at which I could no longer be accommodated.
In the spirit of Brotherly Love and Relief, he gifted me a copy of his book, the Keys to Masonic Memorization (Dyslexia Edition).
The editor of this edition, and co-author, Brian Ragain, had come up with a randomization algorithm for fonts that allowed the book to be typeset in a dyslexia-friendly fashion.
Absolutely brilliant. There is help out there for people like me.
Thinking back to the requirement to memorize the menu at Norm’s Diner to get and keep a Server job, I thought that there was nothing in the book that couldn’t be applied to any vocation. Memorization is memorization.
The book offers advice on several memorization methods. Sure, it’s oriented towards those learning Masonic Ritual. But, Ritual is just verbal information (text). The lessons can easily be adapted to any situation.
Getting back to lunch at Norm’s Diner, I was wondering (but didn’t ask) if the manager or owner offered help with memorization, of if potential employees are simply expected to be able to memorize the menu. Perhaps if they would have a stack of Bro. Ragain’s books on hand, and spend a bit of time with potential employees to develop their skills (in the way that Freemasonry does), they would have plenty of people wanting to work there.
Back to the beginning of this article, perhaps there's something more than pay keeping people from taking the many jobs on offer. Perhaps they do want to work, but they just need a bit of accommodation. If you’re one of them, check out Bro. Ragain’s book.
Brilliant. I find it hugely discouraging to listen to old cliches that criticize people - when our whole society has so little agreement over diverse teaching methods, and over and over provide "standards" for "normal" education, meaning teacher talks, quiet students listen and study at home. I love African American culture for its rich understanding that reaching every student takes many strategies, and just leaving behind, failing or expelling students for what is called "disruptive" behavior, is dysfunctional.
With the memory devices I think of an episode of the classic TV show, Touched by an Angel, where Tess teaches new Asian immigrants the names of the American presidents so they can pass their immigration test: She says it's easy and starts to name them in order, to the tune of "Oh beautiful, O gracious skies....." And the whole class learns. Teaching is like social media - teachers must watch their students and if someone is falling behind, spend a little time with them, to see where the problem occurs. Our academically based culture turns every strategy or intervention thing into cold, impartial science presented in a replicable formula. We call "natural learning" backward or uneducated. But it is the educators who have lost ways to talk normally about people, find strategies and have fun doing it.
Other comment about jobs - it's a management problem. Teaching goals and plans then disappearing and leaving those who implement those goals on their own, instead of supporting new learners - which is what YOU said!! Healthcare same thing, jobs reduced to lists of goals, factory mindset.