NYC public schools, or stupid kids?
So, I was talking to these 2 sisters at my church today. Somehow it came up that I was from Massachusetts. The 9 year old girl asks me, "What language do people speak in Massachusetts?" I said, "English, like the other states." Then she leaves. The 11 (yes 11) year old sister was present for the first conversation and then says to me, "Oh so you're an immigrant then." I said "No, immigrants come from other countries, Massachusetts is a state of the United States." To which she replies...."oh."
Now, when I was 9, I was in the 4th grade. I can see that maybe she hasn't mastered all the states yet. (There is no excuse for an 11 year old in the 6th grade not to know the states.) I guess I owe a HUGE THANK YOU to Mrs. Oberti, my 4th grade teacher, for giving us tests on the states, continents and oceans EVERY SINGLE WEDNESDAY. I hated it at the time, but at least I can recognize the name of a state IN MY OWN COUNTRY.
Is this a case of stupid children, or bad schooling, or both?