[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

How about a link to a map, just in case.

Czech Republic Ambassador: Don’t Confuse Us With Chechnya - ABC News

[justjim]

The kids today certainly know how to "google" or "bing" Chechnya or Czech Republic and find out all about them if they were going there. Otherwise they could care less---But don't sell our kids short. Some of the material my grandson studies (H.S. Soph.) blows me away. However, more geography should probably be taught in our schools. The people you see on jaywalking ---you suspect just maybe some of it is "staged"??

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Lbmb24101

Geography is not a strong point in schools.
I taught 30 yrs ( 15 in high school and 15 in middle school) and even the smartest students lacked a lot of basic geography knowledge....however the kids coming from foreign countries knew their geography.
I dated a pre med student from Johns Hopkins ( smart kd)MANY yrs ago who asked me:
SO, how many driving miles are there from Cuba to Puerto Rico, Maria TEresa ?

That was funny but sad at the same time........(the last sentence).

My husband just shared with me this morning something he had read re the lack of teaching "cursive" in the schools today......instead, printing or keyboarding is preferred by students.

Our kids did learn cursive handwriting and penmanship as we did, but obviously it is now GONE.

All of our "younger" relatives, pre teens and teens, block print thankyou letters to us for gifts received. Any thankyou is preferable to none, but come to think of it, I haven't seen a child or teen write in cursive in a casual fashion (meaning out of school) since the 1970's....maybe early 80's?????

Anyway, a grandfather had written to his grandaughter telling her of how proud he was and knew she would achieve much (I'm shortening it).
He wrote it out in his own handwriting, in cursive.........he then told her to read it aloud to her parents...........she could NOT read it to her parents as she had never been taught to even write in cursive, never mind read it.

Times have changed.

Doing genealogy, I know where the Czech Republic is and where Chechnya is..........but do the kids of today?

Granted, many countries' borders have changed, as well as name changes of major cities in India and elsewhere.......but that was a remarkable letter from the Czech Republic , which was originally posted at the beginning of this thread............a sad commentary on modern times and how some young folks using social media probably do not open a book or look at a map. NOT ALL.......just some.

p.s. If a kid today went to the Library of Congress or the Smithsonian.......they wouldn't be able to read some of the historic papers by our founding fathers.........

[senior citizen]

Chechnya large color map


map of chechnya and surrounding countries - Bing Images
Map of Chechnya and surrounding countries


map of czechoslovakia today - Bing Images
Czechoslovakia

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by Lbmb24101

Geography is not a strong point in schools.
I taught 30 yrs ( 15 in high school and 15 in middle school) and even the smartest students lacked a lot of basic geography knowledge....however the kids coming from foreign countries knew their geography.
I dated a pre med student from Johns Hopkins ( smart kd)MANY yrs ago who asked me:
SO, how many driving miles are there from Cuba to Puerto Rico, Maria TEresa ?

Why do teachers on dates always get tested?!?

[JourneyOfLife]

I can understand why the Czechs would be concerned about some people in other countries misinterpreting the nationality of the perpetrators.

Maybe the Czechs have begun receiving hate emails from certain fools.

One practical problem is that the people that are prone to that sort of overreaction are unlikely to read special press releases or much else for that matter!

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Although I probably couldn't point them out on a blank map,I do know that they are two different countries.

[OnTrack]

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

Why do teachers on dates always get tested?!?

Because their students want to get even?






.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by Lbmb24101

Geography is not a strong point in schools.
I taught 30 yrs ( 15 in high school and 15 in middle school) and even the smartest students lacked a lot of basic geography knowledge....however the kids coming from foreign countries knew their geography.
I dated a pre med student from Johns Hopkins ( smart kd)MANY yrs ago who asked me:
SO, how many driving miles are there from Cuba to Puerto Rico, Maria TEresa ?

Not sure about to PR but it's about 60 miles to Cuba, depending on which hamlet/village/town/city, if one is driving a boat from Miami, Florida. Of course, they would be nautical miles.
I had great teachers in Pensacola and one taught me to be specific. Now that I watch Big Bang Theory on television, the character Sheldon Cooper becomes more real and I'm thankful for my good education and thanks Mom for my genes!

[Patty55]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Apparently America's reputation for dumbing down our education has reached the Czech Repubic Embassy. I'll make a wager that at minimum 30% of american couldn't find the Czech Republic on the map

Honestly, I couldn't. Hell prior to living here I couldn't tell you where Missouri and Ohio are on the map.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by CaptJohn

Not sure about to PR but it's about 60 miles to Cuba, depending on which hamlet/village/town/city, if one is driving a boat from Miami, Florida. Of course, they would be nautical miles.
I had great teachers in Pensacola and one taught me to be specific. Now that I watch Big Bang Theory on television, the character Sheldon Cooper becomes more real and I'm thankful for my good education and thanks Mom for my genes!

Actually it's about 90 miles from the most southern point of the Keys to the closest point in Cuba. It's about 1,000 mile to Puerto Rico.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Patty55

Honestly, I couldn't. Hell prior to living here I couldn't tell you where Missouri and Ohio are on the map.

It's funny, but an awful lot of people who grew up on either coast have a lot of trouble pinpointing the states in the middle of the country.

[The Flash]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

That was funny but sad at the same time........(the last sentence).

My husband just shared with me this morning something he had read re the lack of teaching "cursive" in the schools today......instead, printing or keyboarding is preferred by students.

Our kids did learn cursive handwriting and penmanship as we did, but obviously it is now GONE.

All of our "younger" relatives, pre teens and teens, block print thankyou letters to us for gifts received. Any thankyou is preferable to none, but come to think of it, I haven't seen a child or teen write in cursive in a casual fashion (meaning out of school) since the 1970's....maybe NOT ALL.......just some.
.......

Don't know what your husband is reading or where you get these facts, but in Florida, cursive writing is one of our State Standards. Students are introduced to cursive in second grade and instructed in cursive beginning in the third grade. However, with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, more emphasis is being placed on keyboarding.

[CaptJohn]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

Actually it's about 90 miles from the most southern point of the Keys to the closest point in Cuba. It's about 1,000 mile to Puerto Rico.

That sounds about right for speedboats. How far by rowboat?

[OnTrack]

Originally Posted by CaptJohn

That sounds about right for speedboats. How far by rowboat?

It depends on if you're hauling a ton of bowling balls....or a ton of pillows.

.