For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for January 20, 2020

When I was in school, the quizzes were on paper. I am not familiar with verbal quizzes like we see here. It’s kind of like the Socratic method, if it was graded.

Edmonton (makes me wonder already… do Canadian schools make their students memorise not just provincial/territorial capitals, but also U.S. state capitals?)

“For Better or For Worse” is one of my favorite online comic strips. Nevertheless, I have a teensy-weensy quibble. What has happened to Lawrence? He was the only regular character who racially integrated the strip. Did his family move away? I’m not attempting to pose a “pc” question; I simply miss him because, as a black reader, I’m the only person who would miss his presence in the strip. Mike is usually pictured with a number of his friends and classmates, all regulars of the strip, yet no mention of Lawrence. Did Mike send him a Christmas card or something? Friends move on, granted. So, how has Lawrence moved on?

What is the capital of Alberta? Since I probably won’t ever go, I don’t care.

Funny (re: strange) that as an American, I don’t remember EVER learning about Canada! I’m talking back in the 1960s school days. We learned a lot about European countries and their history, some stuff about China and Japan….even Africa. Canada? Nothing.

That’s not something to be proud of.

Liz doesn’t seem to be doing that hot lately. Would the teacher still have the opportunity to check with her parents?

Medicine Hat?

Lynn’s Comments:

This story gave me the opportunity to add something “Canadian” to the strip. One of my editors originally tried to discourage me from doing this, saying he wanted it to be seen as an American family. I refused to omit Canadianisms, and the result was that folks in the US enjoyed the chance to tell me about their trips to Canada, and Canadians appreciated the reference.

In the ‘80s, as an American teacher, I required my kiddoes—5th and 6th grade—to learn the US states and capitals, and also world countries, oceans, major rivers, mountain ranges, etc.. But I was the only one. It was not an “Essential Element” in Texas. Don’t blame the teachers. Blame the legislators who seem to think that basic geography is not important. Or for that matter, foreign languages, which should be begun before puberty, when languages with native accents are more easily learned.

I went to school in Britain in the 50´s and 60´s, so we were taught that wherever we went was a little part of Britain and that was enough to know!(Joke). We were taught about the countries we had fought against, so all of them!

this comic strip takes place in Canada

I don’t know the capitol of Alberta and I’m not going to look it up. I don’t need to know it. But I do know when I did phone surveys they were the nicest people to talk to.

the coming of the new baby could be on her mind; a big change is coming to the household and her life as she has known it.

I grew up on Long Island (late 50’s early 60’s) we learned about Canada, including the provinces and capitals

I don’t know, and I give a first rip.

“Bombed a quiz”? When I was a kid that meant you aced it. Is this the Canadian slang, or did we have it wrong in my school?

I wonder if the teacher has already graded the written quiz and is just reviewing the answers with the class orally? How could Elizabeth have fail an entire quiz on the basis of failing to know one answer when called on?

Never understood the value of learning the state’s capitals other than the one you lived in other than as an exercise in memorization.

Feels like I’m watching a drug PSA.

I grew up in California and we did not have to learn the states and their capitals, nor the provinces. In fact, like a lot of the others here, we learned almost nothing about Canada except that the province directly north of us was British Columbia.

Elizabeth is now Duh-lizabeth!

In 1967 my new wife and I went to Canada. One of the big engineering projects of the century was the Welland Canal. Stopped at a local shop and asked if we were close to the Welland Canal. Got a blank look. About a mile down the road, there it was. (Also went on to Niagara Falls and Expo 67.) Illinois has over 100 counties – glad we didn’t have to know all them and county seats! Note: World history was not taught in our high schools. After a course in world history in college, US history made more sense.

For those wondering, the capital is Edmonton.

While serving in Uncle Sam’s Navy we often went to the Philippines for extended stays, I sometimes wished I couldgo and see Corregidor and and the sites.We were working eighteen hour days and had twelve hours off, every third day.I didn’t know we were only about 40 miles from Bataan…Ignorance is not stupidity…Not learning IS!…

I live in the US, and I remember learning all the states and their capitals in about 6th grade. (That would have been about 1965 or so). But I was in Catholic school, which might have made a difference. I don’t remember learning a lot about Canada anywhere in my schooling, but I did know where it was and that two official languages in some places were English and French (I was always interested in foreign languages and eventually took them in college.)