"We have to learn all of the states' capitals." Big Kid told me when I asked about his homework.
"Yeah, we had to, too. You have an awesome memory, you'll do great."
"I only remember Tallahassee."
"You should make flash cards," I offered.
"To be honest, I don't really want to. It seems kind of pointless. It's not like a job interviewer is going to ask me the capital of North Dakota." He has an excellent point there.
"Yeah," I tried to think back to the last time I needed to know a state capital as an adult, recalling the pain of learning all of that crap via rote memorization. "It's helpful in trivia games or if you're on Jeopardy. Or if you're the president. You should make some flash cards."
"Ugh. I'll probably never be on Jeopardy. And we have to do a whole packet about this stuff in 2 days. Only 2 days to do it."
"Suck it up, buttercup," I replied, tiring of the conversation.
"It's not the homework in general, it's that there's so little time to do it. And I disagree with the idea of the homework." He insisted.
Big Kid is majorly over the school year. I am majorly over hearing Big Kid complain about how tired of school he is--at this point I would homeschool him for the last grading period of each year just to make it stop.
And I probably wouldn't ask him to memorize the state capitals, that's why we have google. Every time I do simple math on my phone's calculator, I hear Mr. Eder saying "You won't have calculators all of the time when you're an adult, you can't always use a calculator!" Uh, yeah, I can, with absolutely no shame at all.
"Yeah. You should make flash cards."
4 comments:
When I was in high school we sang the following song in my chorus, and it's still the primary way I remember the capitals. A lot easier to memorize too when you have a tune!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE
In the third grade, we had to learn the states in alphabetical order. And while a truly useless talent, it saved my ass straight through college. Because I had to know it again and again for tests in jr high and high school and then for (ahem) a drinking game (ahem) in college. OK...so the college bit was not necessary. But I'm now well into my 30's and can, in under a minute, tell you the 50 Nifty United States in alphabetical order. So rest assured, while learning the capitals is pointless in the forever sense, I'm sure he will need to know them again in the next 10 years- be it for a history exam or a drinking game. And isn't it better to be prepared for such occasions?!
Smiles,
KK
1. There is a company that makes cookies with states on one side, and the capital printed on the other. I have brushed up on my state capitals because I'm living in fear that my kids will quiz me and I'll get it wrong and subject myself to the mockery.
2. Oddly enough, my knowledge of state capitals has come up in business conversation on occasion. It always feels nice to be the ONLY one that knows the answer :)
I learned them for fun when I was a kid, I don't think my school ever made me memorize them.
Animaniacs had a state capitol song. My boyfriend can still sing the whole thing. :-)
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