[jimtorr]

Geez, from some of the replies I guess I have to lower my expectations for the general intelligence of the average freeper. This is all general information that I learned by the sixth grade, in 1960.

A founder of our nation said that a well educated citizen was essential for the survival of our republic. Well, given the recent colledge graduates that i've been re-educating at my company, our republic may be in trouble.

Our young new-hires all have excellent technical knowledge and skills. Some of them, though, have only the vaugest notion of American history and government. Many of them don't know where Oregon is.

[Miss Marple]

I did a short stint as a substitute teacher 15 years ago. I actually had a student in high school with normal intelligence who did not know which way was north! I don't mean he was turned around...I mean that if you stood him outside and pointed to the sunrise, he would not know which way was north!

I also had a student that did not know that Switzerland was in Europe, another student that did not know that Spanish was spoken in Spain, and another who thought you could take the train to Europe.

I am not making this up. I also discovered at the time that my son had an abysmal knowledge of geography (he was in high school) because it was never formally taught, and most of his history textbooks had very few maps. I had to do a crash course here at home to make sure he could locate things on a map!

The curriculum is too full of things that are PC and not enough basic knowledge.

[Nonstatist]

Our young new-hires all have excellent technical knowledge and skills. Some of them, though, have only the vaugest notion of American history and government.

Better than the other way around, heh? We live in a specialized world, and given how unionized and politicized the pedantic proffession is nowadays, I'd say you were fortunate to get what you got. At least they make good workers.

[dead]

Geez, from some of the replies I guess I have to lower my expectations for the general intelligence of the average freeper.

Ah, bite me. I didn't know Belgium.

This is all general information that I learned by the sixth grade, in 1960.

Well I entered sixth grade in 1975. By the time I left it in 1978, they stopped teaching about that pastry chef Napoleon.