Hudson Florida Map

Gaffe was no laughing matter

The recent controversy concerning Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s very public slip-up with regard to precisely which American state is found south of British Columbia is, in fact, no laughing matter (“MacKay gets last laugh after geography blunder,” Gazette, Jan. 28). In effect, the Nova Scotia politician’s gaffe could be, unfortunately, only the tip of a much greater information insufficiency on the part of the head of one of the most important ministries in the national government.

During a 35-year career in high school education in the Greater Montreal area, I observed many students struggle with the most basic of geographic concepts. Regrettably, the dearth of topographical comprehension usually impinged on other subjects as well, particularly history. As a teacher of both history and geography, I made great efforts throughout my professional life to appreciate the true extent of the problem, and from where it came.

For instance, for the longest time at the very beginning of each academic year, I would hand out to all of my newly-assigned students a simple outline map of North America. It did not include either provincial or state lines, or, as I recall, the rather long border found between Canada and the United States. The Great Lakes, however, were displayed.

In order to assess their basic knowledge of the continent upon which they lived, I would ask the pupils to place numbers on where the following were, more or less, found on the map: Montreal, the St. Lawrence River, Newfoundland, Lake Superior, British Columbia, the Rocky Mountains, Saskatchewan, Hudson Bay, Florida, and California. Interestingly, by far and away the two geographic entities most scholars were successful at accurately situating on the outline map were Florida and California, with no student (as poor as some were) ever placing the latter immediately south of British Columbia. Nevertheless, many were embarrassingly unable to locate their own city (Montreal) on the map and, in general, did quite poorly on the entire pedagogical exercise.

As deplorable as these results may seem to us today, they pale in comparison to an unforgettable occasion in 1992 when, in an alternative school in NDG, I had a 16-year-old boy standing before a very colourful geo-political map of North America which was hanging from the blackboard in the front of the classroom. Imagine my amazement when I suddenly realized that on that larger than life representation the pupil in question was unable to distinguish between the land and the water! Although instinctively a bit   sensitive (from my own experiences in high school) to self-esteem issues, the young man still became quite unsettled, blurting out (as I recall): “Well, why would I want to know that anyway”? Afterward, by way of just one example, I privately attempted to explain to him the importance of being able to read a simple road map if later in life he should decide to take an automobile holiday in unknown turf.

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$40, 000 PRICE REDUCTION on this beautiful waterfront home with over 3, 500 heated sq ft on the Gulf of Mexico. Home has 5 large bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with a lower level guest suite. Enjoy the Gulfview from every room in thisKey West style home with metal roof and a Life-Time transferable Warranty. Imagine sitting in your dining room having dinner and watching the sunsets or watching from large entertainment deck. Home boast of a eat in kitchen and a large walk-in pantry. The guest suite in the lower level has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, full kitchen, living room, and laundry room. The 2nd level has 3 large bedrooms, 2 full bath and 1 with a Jacuzzi tub, eat-in kitchen, great room plus office. Home is fenced in the back and along the side of the home. Home has 2 seperate A/C that were replaced in 2008. Listing information is courtesy of Stirling Sotheby's International Realty. All listing information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified through personal inspection by appropriate professionals. Listings displayed on this website may be subject to prior sale or removal from sale; availability of any listing should always be independently verified.

Listed by : FUTURE HOME REALTY|| INC. This Single Family Home for sale is located at 13521 STACEY DR HUDSON, Florida 34667. Stirling Sotheby's International Realty specializes in Luxury Homes, Condo's, Townhomes, Commercial Property, Vacant Land and many other types of Real Estate in the State of Florida Use our Real Estate Search Tools to locate and view more Single Family Home's in the 34667 area.

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