The next time your child complains about how tough school is, show him this eighth grade test taken from 1912.
According to an article in the Huffington Post, the master document was donated to Bullitt County History Museum in Kentucky.
Apparently the test was a big deal for rural students, who assembled once or twice a year to sit the "Common Exam," which then determined who got scholarships and who went on to high school. A rarity for many farm kids.
The 101-year-old test went viral, garnering the museum some 200,000 [hits].
"It's quite a challenging test," admits the museum's director, David Strange. "I do try to remind everyone it's a 1912 test and you need to place yourself in that mindset sometimes. I remember having a similar question [as is on the test] when I was in school. I wouldn't want to take it again."
Define cerebellum. What is the difference between a personal noun and common noun? And who in the devil invented cotton gin? See how many questions you could answer... Then again, here's a good argument for not wanting your kids to be too smart.
Proof that we have dumbed down in recent generations, or is much of this knowledge now obsolete?
What's in a name? And should certain names be off limits to parents? A Tennessee court thinks so, having ordered a boy's parents to change his given name, Messiah, on the basis that “only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ.”
According to an article in Today Moms, the parents of a 7-month-old were attending a child support hearing to discuss the infant's surname.
However, magistrate Lu Ann Ballew took it upon herself to order the change of given name from Messiah DeShawn Martin to Martin DeShawn McCullough.
Ballew claimed her decision was in the best interests of the child. But mom Jaleesa Martin begged to differ.
“I never intended on naming my son Messiah because it means God and I didn't think a judge could make me change my baby's name because of her religious beliefs,” Martin said, whose other children are called Micah and Mason. (And of course Jesus has long been a common name in Spanish-speaking countries.)
Martin is appealing the decision on 17 September. But first she should probably perhaps consider the implications of her chosen name.
Do you think the state has any place is naming children? Should certain names stay off limits, as per the banned list in New Zealand?
Ever been tempted to forcibly restrain your toddler? Well, Brazil has designed a colourful range of Control Toys, which includes a high chair with wrist and ankle shackles, a "happy" cage, and the aforementioned straitjacket.
But before you burst a gasket, know that the toys are in fact part of a very elaborate marketing ploy. According to an article in the Daily Mail, the toys were manufactured and put on the shelves for the sole purpose of promoting the country's version of Super Nanny TV show.
"The inspiration for the campaign came from TV show itself," said copy writer Luis Felipe Figueiredo, who helped devise the toys with advertising agency Publicis. "By watching it, we realized that most of those kids seemed like little devils. They were completely out of control as if they were possessed."
We get the joke; there are better means to discipline children that don't involve Fifty Shades props. Watch Super Nanny, and learn. Watch the clip below as unsuspecting parents get 'punked' by the toys.
As ad campaigns go, is Control Toys over the top or an effective marketing tool to drive home an important message?
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