You know you’re getting old when…

But still, maybe “age” has been on my mind more the past few days. So, let me set the scene:

I was teaching my SAT writing class today. We had had a great class, lots of good editing and discussion. The students all attend the highly-respected Science Park School in Hsinchu, Taiwan   (國立新竹科學工業園區實驗高級中學) where I served as teacher and college adviser, 1992-1997.Class was over, but one student who had 8th grade exams the next day asked, “Mr. Dreyer, can I ask you a question?”

(When time allows, I like to let the kids ask extra questions about things beyond our class content. This extra “homework coaching” is an additional benefit for our students with DreyerCoaching.com.)

His question: “How can I do better at learning the locations of the European countries, especially the Balkans?”

(Side note: I am DELIGHTED to see people learning geography; I taught world geography at his school for five years back in the 1990s, and said, “Please tell your teacher how glad I am that is he is making you learn the countries of Europe.)

My answer: Try an online quiz game, like this one.

You can also print off a blank map and label each country, and then check your answers.

“However, it was a lot easier when I was a kid, because….” (I wanted to continue, “because we only had to learn Yugoslavia, but now you have to learn six or seven countries.”)

But, he piped up! “You had the Ottoman Empire!”

In case you did not know, the Ottoman Empire fell in the 1920’s, having basically been dissolved after WW I and the Versailles Treaty, because they were on the losing side. (Also, countries get punished when they lose wars–sometime, they cease existing altogether!)

So, we all had a good laugh, and I told the student, “I might remember the Ottoman Empire…if I were 100 years old!”

(Now, I was blessed as a boy to have a friend and next-door neighbor, “Aunt Lou,” who was born in 1892 in Franklin County, Virginia: she would have remembered the Ottoman Empire! She clearly remembered Teddy Roosevelt! But she passed away in 1997–at the age of 105.)

Still, that young man had a good point: people back then did have an easier map to memorize! You didn’t have to memorize names and places like Yugoslavia, Turkey, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq…well, you get the point.

Ottoman Empire

That kept me laughing for the rest of the class, and off and on the rest of the day. Still, if you need some help with your English writing–or history–or geography–contact me at Scott@DreyerCoaching.com. We want to help as many people as we can at www.DreyerCoaching.com…whether you remember the Ottoman Empire or not!

Since 2010, based in the friendly USA State of Virginia, DreyerCoaching.com has been providing customized, high-quality, real-time language instruction via the internet to a global audience in their home, school, or office. Think how comfortable, confident and successful you or your child will feel, receiving personalized guidance from college-educated teachers who are native speakers and have bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees plus decades of teaching experience. Whether you are looking for help with the ABCs or the SATs, or college admissions to conversational English to business writing, we serve all ages and levels to help our students make dreams come true. Discover the Dreyer Difference. Take the first step and visit DreyerCoaching.com, send Scott an email, or schedule a free consultation to get started. 

自 2010 年以来，DreyerCoaching.com 总部位于友好的美国弗吉尼亚州，一直通过互联网向全球观众在家中、学校或办公室提供有制度的、高质量的实时语言教学。 想想您或您的孩子会感到多么自在、自信和成功，从受过大学教育的教师那里获得个别的指导，这些教师都是以英语为母语，拥有学士、硕士和博士学位，以及数十年的教学经验的教师。 无论是从 英语ABC的基础课程 或 SAT 的帮助，就读美国高中，大学入学申请，还是从会话英语到商务写作，我们都为所有年龄和水平的学生提供服务，帮助我们的学生实现梦想。 发觉 Dreyer 的不同之处。 迈出第一步，游览 DreyerCoaching.com网站，向 Scott 发送电子邮件，可开始安排一个免费咨询。