As of 2023, almost 5% of RCMS students cannot read analog clocks, according to an anonymous survey.

Four out of 86 students, or 4.7%, of students who attend Rachel Carson Middle School cannot read analog clocks. Although there could be many factors, a main one could be that students are becoming more reliant on electronic devices like phones and laptops.

“Everyone is so dependent on their phones,” said Ruth Kwon, seventh-grader on the Mavericks team. “It’s easier to use computers and other devices.”

Some students and staff say students would likely benefit from being taught how to read clocks as it is a  useful piece of knowledge that can be used throughout their lives.

“Every single kid in the school should know how to read a clock,”said Veer Sawhney, seventh-grader on the Trailblazers team. “It’s a basic skill everyone should know.” 

A big question is whether or not students should still be taught how to read clocks. Some would say they should because you can learn to solve problems and challenges while others would say they are old and outdated.

“More practice you have at these kinds of things,” said Mr. Treakle, RCMS librarian, “the better you get at figuring other things out.”

The majority of people interviewed agreed that analog clocks are still useful and that they are not going away anytime soon, However some would say that they are becoming obsolete with the growing number of digital clocks available.

“You never know,” said Ruth, “it’s a necessary skill even though everyone has phones.”

According to an article posted on USA Today, some teachers are considering replacing the analog clock in their classrooms with digital clocks because students are struggling to read them. 

“There are a lot of digital clocks now,” said Abigail Kiss, eighth-grader on the Wolves team, “so they aren’t really useful.”

It’s likely that analog clocks won’t be replaced for a long time because they function and complete their purpose.

“They are a system, they aren’t better or worse than digital clocks,” said Mr. Treakle, “they exist and there’s still a lot of them around.”