Monday, February 15, 2016

Self-Improvement

Watching Jeopardy every night, I am aware of my lack of certain basic knowledge. So I'm thinking I may do some self-study so that I know:
  • Each president and vice president of the US in order
  • order of the planets from the sun
  • be able to fill in a map of Europe, Africa and the other continents... I used to be able to do that... now I can't even name all the countries!
  • amendments to the Constitution
Tonight one of the answers was "isthmus" and it reminded me of something I hadn't thought of in years. In 8th grade, my social studies teacher had a lisp and when we were learning various land formations/bodies of water. With his lisp, the definition of "isthmus" which is

An isthmus is a strip of land separated by two seas or oceans

came out as:

An ithmith ith a thrip of land theparated by two theas or otheans.

We would sit there mesmorized as he would say it repeatedly. The good news is I have never forgotten a definition of isthmus. I swear I can still hear him saying it!

2 comments:

Barbara said...


Although he did not have a lisp, I have fond memories of Mr. Russo, my eighth grade science teacher, who taught us this mnemonic for the planets: "Mary's violet eyes make John stay up nights pining." (Of course he'd have to leave off the pining now.)

Pat said...

Oh good, I can almost check one off my list when I learn this sentence. Thanks! I know all the names of the planets...Thanks Mr. Russo wherever you are!