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Human. History.
Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 11:14PM First let me say: wish you could have seen my Easter millinery! It was a Betmar black straw cloche with a big rosette and bow in front ... stunning if I do say so ... bought at a discount outlet for a price so outrageously low you wouldn't believe it so I won't tell you what it was! I dress up every Sunday for church and I often wear hats, but on Easter it's fun to really crank up the sartorial drama and sort of revel in the gorgeous spring day and all the beautiful music celebrating the awe-inspiring fact of Christ's resurrection. Adding to the overall giddiness this Easter was the presence of our daughters Audrey and Erica, who were home for the weekend.
TG: Who was the big General during the war? James: You mean the Supreme Commander?
On the way to church we stopped to pick up a young man named James, age 11. James's mother has been very sick and had to stay home today, but James wanted to attend services so we gave him a ride. Sitting in the back seat between Audrey and Erica, James quickly impressed us all with his near-encyclopedic knowledge of American history, specifically the World Wars. We learned of James's academic prowess when, by way of being friendly, one of the girls asked him what he likes to study in school. He asserted that while his favorite subject is math, he is enjoying the class's current study of World War II.
To pass the time we began quizzing him, WWII being a frequent topic of conversation in our home as TG is a certified buff in the subject and our kids have always liked history too.
(Extreme kudos to Mrs. Smith, fifth grade teacher at Seven Oaks Elementary School, who clearly is doing a remarkable job with her students in at least one subject.)
TG: So, what was the war about?
James: Hitler made concentration camps and he killed a bunch of people and he invaded Britain and also Russia. And they had to leave because it was so cold in Russia.
TG: That's right.
Females: *speechless*
TG: Who was President of the United States during the war?
James: Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Females: Yayyyy! *clapping*
TG: Who was the big General during the war?
James: You mean the Supreme Commander?
TG: Yes.
James: Eisenhower.
Females: Wow! *clapping*
TG: What did Eisenhower do after the war?
James: Became President!
TG: This kid's sharp.
Females: Yeah.
TG: Who was another big General in Europe during the war?
James: General Patton.
Females: Yesssss! *clapping*
TG: Who was the Pacific Admiral during the war?
James: ummmm ... Nnnn ...
TG: Nimitz.
James: Yeah! I couldn't think of that name.
Audrey: Where in Japan did we drop the bombs to end the war?
James: Tokyo?
Audrey: No ...
James: We haven't gotten to that yet.
Audrey: Oh, well then ...
James: I know a lot about World War I too. Who was the American soldier who killed a whole bunch of Germans?
Us All: Sergeant York. Alvin C. York.
TG: Where was he from?
James: Kentucky?
Me: Tennessee.
James: Oh yeah.
TG: He was a Christian, you know.
James: I know. And he wasn't sure if it was okay to kill people.
TG: But after he studied his Bible and prayed, he knew God wanted him to fight in the war.
TG: What new type of war did we wage in World War I?
James: Trench.
Females: Ahhhh! *clapping*
Audrey: What kind of new weapon did we use in World War I?
James: Gas masks?
TG: Close.
James: Mustard gas?
TG: Mustard gas is right.
Females: Swish.
We're thinking of contacting Alex Trebek and promoting James as a contestant on a kid version of Jeopardy. On second thought, he could probably take on many adults. In a state that ranks 49th out of a possible 50 in terms of the efficiency exhibited by our public schools in the important area of educating children, the depth of James's knowledge was very encouraging. I mean, it's the dismal truth that countless high school seniors about to graduate in this and just about every other state would not be able to answer these questions to the degree of accuracy that James achieved.
And have you ever seen Jay Leno's "Man on the Street" segments? Many Americans do not know the name of our President and Vice President, not to mention their own Senators and Congressmen or the Governor of their state. And don't ask them the dates of the Civil War or the World Wars or any other conflict in which Americans have fought to defend freedom, except maybe the one in which we are presently engaged.
One of my main concerns with education being my beloved English language, as we dropped James off I posed one last question: "Can you spell prestidigitation?"
Bless his heart, he almost got it.
Reader Comments (6)
I am completely impressed by James and your Easter bonnet! I don't know about the man in the street segments, but I know my aunt who's a dentist said she questioned her staff once about why we celebrate the Fourth of July...and they were clueless!
PS I loved the Sgt York movie with Gary Cooper
Girl, that Easter bonnet was to drool for. Much like the gorgeous Coop ... LOL! And James really is a darling. Hope you had a splendid holiday!
I'm glad to hear that James knows our history. I've quizzed some of the kids at my church in Illinois about it, and the high schoolers didn't know as much as he does.
Also, I was wondering...If you got such a good deal on the hat why didn't you pick one up for Erica? LOL!
Dat chile has shown no interest in millinery ... she just looks but won't even try one on. Have you heard the one about leading a horse to water ...
Alas, I took my US History AP exam yesterday morning. I feel quite confident that I may have gotten a 2(out of 5). This child is either extraordinary in his learning ability, or doesn't play very many video games. With all the electronics these days, kids(including me) get so easily distracted from learning that they don't care as much about it as they should. I love learning but I used to love it more before cell phones and internet. Isn't technology(the slow and steady corruption of society) wonderful?
Now I'm embarrassed that I could not answer those same history questions on the way to Tennessee. I think TG(Mr. Weber) gave up after 2 or 3 questions for me. Or perhaps it was you who was asking me about the wars.
I was asking you about the wars!
Actually James claims to love his video games ... but the last time TG went to visit him, he was reading a book about Egypt! He's a riot, that kid.
With technology as with just about everything else, moderation is the key! Self-discipline. Gluttony (of any kind) destroys all sense of the precious and irreplaceable.