No. Europe is not a country.
Was it Euripides who said, “Whom the gods destroy, they first make mad?” Does stupid count as mad? We might have some concerns for our nation.
I’ve told my history students they’d better know the answer to this one. It will show up on the test.
Also, see this story in the New York Times, “Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans hostile to knowledge?”
Tip of the old scrub brush to the Wayback Machine.
Stumble It!
July 8, 2008 at 9:27 pm
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February 16, 2008 at 8:17 pm
“Current events” isn’t in the Texas standards, and so isn’t taught. Those of us wiley enough to figure out it boosts our kids’ scores, sneak it in.
I had a principal once who complained about my current events material, as taking too much time from actual instruction. Our students at that school had the highest pass rate in the district on the state exit social studies exam.
Good teachers require, and use, current events, yes.
February 16, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Dili should be the capitol of East Timor which leads to the question (if I gave the correct answer)– do school teachers still require “current events”? That used to be/still is a good way to learn geography (and history, etc.)
Our local public radio news director evidently doesn’t keep up with audio/TV current events so pronunciations of state placenames gets creative.
February 16, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I like geography. Sometimes kids challenge me, and then it’s fun to see what borders what, or what’s the capital, or that sort of thing.
I’ve found some fun games on the web, too. Delete this if it’s spammish, but a place called sheppardsoft has a bunch of fun, free, webgames.
And in answer to your questions, Bratislava (once called Pressburg, and once with a substantial Magyar population, don’t know about today though), and Skopje for the country, Thessaloniki (Salonica) for the neighboring Greek province with the same name.
Jonathan
February 16, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Advertise? Advertise! No, it’s like posting the corpse of a coyote on the fencepost. It’s a warning. It WILL be on the test, and the students better get it down.
They should worry about all the other capitals of Europe, too — which is more difficult these days. What IS the capital of Slovakia? Macedonia?
And just to strike a little bit more panic, of what nation is Dili the capital? See that coyote on the fencepost? You could end up similarly marooned . . .
February 16, 2008 at 10:50 am
Oh dear, another example of why we in the country of Europe (sorry) think that the citizens of the USA are stupid. It’s unfair on the rest of you to advertise the shallow end of your gene pool like this.
February 15, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I think ol’ Jeff is kidding about France being a country. It’s just a place where they make fries and toast.
February 15, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Someone once said something to the effect of:
“Make a man think he is thinking, and he will love you. Make him think, and he will hate you for it.”
http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/