Things I Learned Today

After a few disappointing 8th period classes (700/805), I have been blessed with a wonderful class which I affectionately call Table 9-an homage to The Wedding Singer. They never disappoint in things they tell me but I digress. Here are some historical facts that I learned today.

1. Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis and Green Bay are states and not cities in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
2. Hawaii is located right smack in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
3. Bill Clinton's father was the President of the United States before he was. Bill Clinton never knew his father.
4. Barack Obama's father was also the President of the United States before he was. Barack Obama's father was born in Kenya and therefore could not become President.
5. Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt were father and son and they too became President. They were 8th cousins.
6. The Oregon Trail ended in England.
7. The Oregon Trail ended in Mexico.

Questions I Asked
1. Name the six states created out of the Northwest Territory of 1787. (Since many of my students did not learn much in 7th Grade, I dumbed it down to NFL cities, just name the states.)
2. In which ocean can you find Hawaii?
3/4/5-Name the two father/son combinations to become President. (John/John Quincy Adams and George H.W. /George W. Bush)
6/7. Where did the Oregon Trail end?

In another class, they took fifteen minutes to answer: WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO CALLED?

If you old students remember a classic screwed-up answer stated in my class, please feel free to share.