WHAT TODAY’S HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS KNOW. John McPhee describes an experiment in which he asked whether 19 seniors at the Brookline, Massachusetts High School were familiar with various terms. For example, all 19 knew Woody Allen, Winston Churchill and Hamlet. I read a number of the names to Mary Jane: 11 students knew Elizabeth Taylor and My Fair Lady. None knew Jackie Gleason, Jack Dempsey, Sophia Loren or Samuel Johnson. It was when I read out that only one student knew Laurence Olivier that Mary Jane exclaimed sadly: “Oh, America!”
Categories
Archives
Recent Comments
- Gary Nuetzel on THE OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE STARTS ITS 32ND SEASON. (COMMENT).
- Francesca on EATING PEAS WITH A KNIFE.
- avon wilsmore on CHEATING IN CHAMPIONSHIP BRIDGE.
- Anonymous on THE LANGUAGE WEIRDNESS INDEX.
- James Friscia on THE SECOND OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE.
- Ken Babcock on THE SECOND OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE.
- Lickity Splitfingers on THE SECOND OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE.
- Ken Babcock on THE OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE STARTS ITS 32ND SEASON. (COMMENT).
- David Quemere on THE OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE STARTS ITS 32ND SEASON. (COMMENT).
- Nicholas Schaefer on THE SECOND OLDEST FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE.
Meta
There’s an interesting item published each year – I forget where – about routine things the older generation thinks everyone should know about that occurred well before incoming college freshmen were born.
Should we expect them, much less high school students, to know Jackie Gleason, Jack Dempsey, Sophia Loren or even Laurence Olivier? The latter might be mentioned in an English literature class, but where would they be routinely exposed to the former three?
What shocked me in 2009, as in the past, was when only 50% of students in an introductory international relations course could correctly identify Iraq on an outline map of the world and only 15% could locate Afghanistan.
And Gary Cooper, as iconic and American as Mt. Rushmore, is also unknown and largely forgotten by the young. Then, again, did anyone ask if they knew about Mt. Rushmore?