Are you smarter than Mrs. B's students?

That test is boring.

 

Longer than mine ... I got to about 12 ...

 

Well, considering that Lincoln was trailing in the polls to George McClellan at that time, that the Union desperately needed good news from a brutal summer of fighting in which thousands died, and that Sherman's romp turned the tide of not only the war, but of public opinion, it's not overstating matters much to say it won the war in more ways than one.

If for no other reason than to get Lincoln re-elected.

One thing I've seen meander through this thread is some of you -- IJAG probably included in this -- had crappy history teachers, probably one of the coaches at your school who mailed it in between charting plays and keeping the star running back eligible.

It makes a difference.

 

Nope. My history teacher was a fine woman who taught only history. She also played classical music quietly in the background during our tests, which is what started my need for having background noise.

 

I didn't much care for history in school, but I like it a lot now.

School was too much remembering dates and crap.

 

Then your teacher officially sucked as a conveyor of historical information.

 

Great find there. I did very well, although if I hadn't, I'd have been VERY disappointed.

 

Me, too. When I'm out road-tripping and I see a sign that says 'Historical Point of Interest,' I always stop.

These things fascinate me now for some reason. For some reason, when I was young, the thought of going to Fortress Louisbourg or Sherbrooke Village bored me to tears. Now, I'm scheduling time on vacation next summer to see those things ... again ... for the first time.

 

Here is an example of George Bush's America and No Child Left Behind...

This story was relayed to me in about 2002 or 2003.

A sixth grade teacher in a nice middle school in Virginia was really curious oneday about what his students really knew.

He did a quick four question quiz with the following questions...

1. Who is the Governor of Virginia?
2. Who is the quarterback of the Washington Redskins?
3. Who started the Underground Railroad?
4. Who is the Vice President of the United States of America?

Out of 23 students, no more than seven students answered 1,2 or 4 correctly, but 21 answered number 3 correctly. The reason, who know you need to know who Harriet Tubman is for NCLB's test in the spring.

Great job, W.

 

I can live with that. Math teacher was much worse, though.

 

I absolutely buy this.

The most random question that every HS kid in America can answer? Who invented the cotton gin?

For whatever reason, that question has ended up on every standardized test since the beginning of time.

 

The answer is Eli Whitney. Just because I felt this question needed an answer.