Poll For Americans

Yeah, I know what you mean. I didn't know the capital about 4 months ago (I think it is Ottawa) but I learned it in Scholar's Bowl...

I just learned it on the phone. A woman asked if she could ship something to Ottawa, and I said, "Where is that?"

After she told me, I laughed at my ignorance, but she didn't seem to think it was funny.

You know, though, it's just never come up before.

Well, it's all relative. BTW, where's CHS?

(No offense intended!)

Oh, I'm not actually from CHS. There were some kids from Centerburg High who came on this forum a while back and made quite a ruckus. It's more of an allusion, lest we forget.

shame about what they did to those kids. I can't believe it was passed over in the news

Huh?

So far I'm the only one willing to excuse my ignorance.

Do American kids learn about the geography or history of the world (I mean, the world outside of the US) in school? How about as an elective course maybe?

If there is an elective course, I have not elected to take it.

I have absolutely no education about any other country (history or geography), other than Britain, since they are part of our history, and the french revolution. And what I've been taught about Britain is extremely limited.

Anything else I know, I've learned from Disney Cartoons.

Yeah Geography is without a doubt the weakness of the American youth. Ask any kid to point to Iraq on a map, and get ready to witness failure.

(*) No, and I should. But I've been saddled with mass-media

... that is fundamentally based on manipulating rather than informing,
and therefore Canada does not exist.

Not to shift blame onto anyone but myself, but I'm embarassed that I
haven't pursued more balanced brain-food, esp. with the internet available.






A salt of wisdom, assault of senses,
as all together it has halted our minds.
. . . News for the snooze.

(THAT's bizarre! My head's just freakin' rhythmic today! Sorry... sorry... Ait?)

American kids today aren't even taught geography or history as separate subjects any more. It all gets lumped under the heading of "Social Studies," a ctach-all course which includes the aforementioned, plus a tad of civics, a tad of economics, and a soupcon of sociology-cum-anthropolgy. It is pitiful. Iraq? Ask them to find Mexico on a map and they point to Canada. They have no notion of north or south. Why should they? The new cars all offer satellite-imaging trail guides so that you don't get lost on the Interstate. I once asked a 14-year old to point out India on the world map. He proudly walked over to the US map instead and, quite accurately, put his finger on ... Indiana! They think Africa is one country where everybody speaks African. Not one person in 100 realizes that New Mexico is a state in the USA, not a part of Mexico.

Don't get me started.

Please continue. I, for one, would like to hear more.

What's this you were saying about the country, Africa?

Okay, I'll continue. Most students don't know the difference between Austria and Australia and can't find either one on a world map. I shudder whenever I realize thtat hese are the leaders of tomorrow.

Merry, I think they're already the leaders of today...

Most kids in Canada can name all of the 50 states and their capital. Pointing them out on a map is childs play.

Canada only has 10 provinces and 3 territories to learn :-D

No, we don't ski in July

But then, you can't spell Roosevelt ;-)

Teddy or Franklin?

America is one of the only (possibly the only) countries that doesn't teach a second or third language to their children.

I can tell you that I didn't know the capital of Canada and I am actually pretty ashamed of myself for that.

Apparently, we are not interested in the rest of the world. Which is sad. <<sigh>>