FoxTrot by Bill Amend for September 22, 2019

Whatever works. At least they’re studying.

The “ouch” comment is risible.

Q: “What is the capital of Wyoming?”A: “Double-you!”

By the way, the capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg, in case anyone was wondering!

“You see before you an elderly woman…”

I think this is a awesome way to study! I’m going to share it with my daughters.

There’s a game, ProdigyMath, for kids (schools pay for it usually) where the student/player is on a fantasy quest against the bad guys, and to cast spells, the student has to solve a math problem. The more powerful the spell they want to cast, the harder the math problem.

Yeah, everyone knows the Capital of Pennsylvania is Trumpsville!

“. . . and the capital of Nebraska is LINCOLN!”

Being from Philadelphia, it is not the state capital of Pennsylvania. (But it should be.)

Thou shalt not pass! (both literally and academically)

But what is his favorite color?

Not cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril? I’m disappointed.

Well it’s more studying than I did in middle school

Is the elderly woman their teacher?

Way to plug your upcoming book tour, Bill!

Remember folks, Bill will be in Philadelphia in December, not Harrisburg.

Come to Louisville, Bill!

She’s hardly THAT elderly, boys.

Maybe it’s the violence in the response in studying. Teachers don’t like any form of violence. Can’t play cops and robbers on the playground. Can’t bit your pop tart in such a way that the shape vaguely resembles a gun.

In their defense, they are your best students

“Who would cross the bridge of death must answer me these questions three ’ere the other side he see.”

Harrisburg! (I Googled it)

Nice motivation. Having your heart ripped out if you don’t know the capital of Pennsylvania!

I couldn’t remember Harrisburg. Google to the rescue…again.

I’m trying it!

Elderly and ornery.

This series had its down sides, but it was pro-education and the slackers were treated like the idiots they were.

My classmates and I would always make a game out of studying. It’s more fun that way. We did it sort of like Jeopardy, except that it was usually multiple choice and we didn’t have to answer in the form of a question.

I remember hearing that, in the earliest iterations of Dungeons & Dragons, the deadliest opponent you could face was the Little Old Lady. She was dangerous because she was so old she had faced and overcome all enemies. She could not be beaten, she could kill you, and the only defense against her was to run away when you heard the clacking of her false teeth.

I thought the capital of Michigan was “M”

I once hit the teacher with a paper airplane!

When in the real world do you need to know all the state capitals? Unless you’re appearing on Jeopardy.

I know they’re kids, but really? Calling Miss O’Malley ‘elderly’? _

I have always found it a bit odd that the capital city of many US states is often a small, sleepy town rather than the largest city in the state as is usually case in most other countries. Take South Dakota. Why Pierre rather than Sioux Falls? Or Albany rather than NYC? Small wonder schoolchildren (and people in general although must couldn’t care less) struggle remembering their names.

I know all the capitals of the United States