Taking Test on The Forum,

[Wyandot Jim]

Now don't get me wrong on this. I think the test that Cooperhawk post are GREAT and I enjoy taking them. Some are hard some not so hard.
The subject always comes up about how would collage students do taking them. I'm sure some, from what I've seen on TV NOT so good. That is a shame.

SOOOOOOOOOO let me add my view on this.
I have had my 18 year old Grandson, who is a Senior, take most all of the test that have been posted. I was very surprised at his scores both in the WWII history, Geography and spelling test. He did as well as most on this forum.
IMHO I don't believe it is what you are taught in school but what is passed on by the family and in ones interest. When he is asked something that he doesn't know he will look it up on his smart phone. You don't have to carry around encyclopedias nowadays. For example, we were talking about the atom bombs dropped on Japan. He knew the types used, what type nuclear reaction took place and the names of them. WOW was I impressed. I was curious to know how he knew. His answer. "Gramps after seeing them in the Nimitz Museum with you and Dad I wanted to know more about them. So I did some research on my smart phone."
SOOOOOOOOOO there is hope , but it is up to us to help motivate.
As you can see from Vietnam test some were interested in History and some not. You don't have to live in the time period, but you need to be interested in it.
OK now I'm climbing off my soap box.
Jim

 

[gramps]

Jim, we all know your kin are above average, and you and your wife etc instill a curiosity in the young. I agree it has a lot to do with family values, interests etc. agreed there is still hope! There some others out there too, thank God.
gramps

 

[AJGUNNER]

I ask my son almost every day---what did you learn today. Lots of times it is the same answer---not much. Last night I finally got around to cleaning a bunch of pistols. I own mostly stainless, so often let them go until they start having problems. The boy was in his room doing homework---his excuse for not helping, but I drug him out to do a bit of teaching. For as much time as he has spent around guns and shooting, I was surprised to learn that he could not tell me what the forcing cone was and its function. He could also not tell me where the top strap was or what flame cutting is. After learning these things and a few others I had him hooked, he was now more interested in doing the gun cleaning than going back to the homework. After teaching/showing him how to break down a security six, he soon took over on breaking them down and reasembling them, while I got stuck doing the actual cleaning. We knocked out 3 security 6's, a pair of SP101's, 3 redhawks and a couple of bearcats. The single sixes will be on top of the list for next time. When we we done I asked him what he had learned today----eyes rolling duh---my response---good now you can do it all by yourself next time.

Next lesson---how to operate the Dillon

 

[Wyandot Jim]

AJGUNNER , Very good, I rest my case. How old is your son??

Grandson and Granddaughter were running the 650 Dillon at 8 & 5. I was watching of course. GD job was to put the brass in the tube :wink:
Grandson has been loading his own 45 ACP rounds for a year.

Thanks, Gramps

 

[Rick Courtright]

For as much time as he has spent around guns and shooting, I was surprised to learn that he could not tell me what the forcing cone was and its function. He could also not tell me where the top strap was or what flame cutting is. After learning these things and a few others I had him hooked, he was now more interested in doing the gun cleaning than going back to the homework.

Hi,

A lot of "intelligence" involves one's particular place in the world and what they're exposed to...

For example, I'd shot for nearly 40 years and fired perhaps 200,000 rounds before I cared what a top strap was or had seen flame cutting. Those terms just didn't exist in the worlds of hunting or competitive shooting with shotguns which had been my shooting "life." It only took a few minutes to learn all the new terms once I had a reason to do so, when I started shooting handguns somewhat late in life compared to many of you. So I was ignorant, but not unintelligent. Same with your son, and now it sounds like the lad's walking in the same footsteps I did: give him a reason to learn and he will. Good for him!

I agree with Jim and gramps, too, that what the family teaches is equally as important as what one picks up in school, if not more so.

Rick C

 

[AJGUNNER]

AJGUNNER , Very good, I rest my case. How old is your son??

Grandson and Granddaughter were running the 650 Dillon at 8 & 5. I was watching of course. GD job was to put the brass in the tube :wink:
Grandson has been loading his own 45 ACP rounds for a year.

Thanks, Gramps

Just turned 18 and he knows how the Dillon works---just need to take away the phone and strap him to the bench.
I bought my old Rockchucker when I was 18, and stepped up to the Dillon when I was in my early 20's. I sure am glad that I also stocked up on components back then.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

DB,
You have hit on a very important fact about TV and learning. Our Family has never been a big TV fan. Never been into the TV sports, watching the Kids and Grandkids. play sports is a lot more fun. My Daughter doesn't even have the TV hooked up to cable. She does get stuff for the GDs to watch. Son's kids watch very little TV. Daughter has always been a reader, Son not so much in HS but now is. Wifie and I still don't watch much TV. I enjoyed The History Channel when it was about History.
Son and I were always to busy building and fixing stuff to watch TV. Well BA BA Black sheep was OK

 

[gramps]

WJ, you didn't have time for TV, working on the Starduster et al. Better use of time IMO also, with a much better return on your investment of time.
gramps

 

[Kevin]

There is this cute pre school teacher I listen too. We talk a lot about teaching techniques and about kids in general. She tells me at home "More is caught than taught," she does the car line for drop off at school and is disgusted at the parents who have a tv turned on in the car for the short ride to school in the morning.

I do have to speak up for television though. It is mostly trash however there are a few good programs. I watch them with my daughter and we talk about the concept they are trying to convey. Be it animals and habitats or math or sizes and volumes, like cup pint quart etc.

Yesterday she was reading basic map coordinates in the car with grandma. We couldn't figure where she learned it....from PBS.

Several good tv programs include:
ANIMAL ATLAS
WILD CRATTS
ODD SQUAD.

Please note my daughter does NOT watch more than an hour of tv a day. Well maybe 2 hours on Saturday.

This is a good post Jim, thanks!

 

[Rick Courtright]

Yesterday she was reading basic map coordinates in the car with grandma. We couldn't figure where she learned it....from PBS.

Hi,

Kevin, that makes perfect sense to me, in that she's got a reason to learn it, and will: today she's your LTC (Lovely Travel Companion.) But from some of your other posts, I think her nickname will change into LTG (Lovely Travel Guide) some time in the future. And such a skill will surely be valuable when that day comes!

It's amazing how much stuff will fit inside a kid's head and how it gets there, isn't it? My sister's two grandsons constantly amaze us in that department. She spent considerable "Gramma time" with the first one, teaching him all kinds of things he wouldn't have gotten at home. The second one showed up 10 1/2 months after his brother, so they're all but twins, even in the same grade in school today. The "little one" seems to have soaked up almost everything she taught his brother. Automatically, with no adult input!

Rick C

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Speaking of map reading skills.

This is one you will not believe, I find it hard to believe myself.

Some friends of mine and I were going to a Cowboy shoot about 250 miles from home. I had never been there before. The husband had to work on the day before the shoot so wife wanted to ride with me. Ok here's the map you navigate. Her response, I CAN'T READ A MAP. WHAT????? She said she never had to her husband always did. No this lady was 40 and had a degree. I just couldn't believe it.
So I took a few minuets before we started in basic map reading. Like North is always UP and those lines are roads with numbers on them. Long story short by the time we got to the shoot she could read a map.
Grandson was taught how to read a map by his Dad and me when he was 7. Son was also about the same age when I taught him.
Just makes you wonder about some people and how they are raised.
Jim

 

[Rick Courtright]

Like North is always UP and those lines are roads with numbers on them.

Hi,

Well, ALMOST always?

Some years ago an acquaintance was going to a seminar at a big SoCal university which should probably remain unnamed, as it turns out a number of civil engineers! He showed me the map to the place they'd included in the registration packet and asked what was wrong with it, since I was familiar with the general neighborhood. It looked weird, and it took a minute to realize the person who'd drawn it put "East" at the top.

That same person was a speaker at the seminar. So this fellow asked him why he drew the map the way he did when all other maps have North at the top. The answer was almost horrifying: "Oh, that's just a silly convention that doesn't have any real use." I kinda hope that guy's wandering hopelessly lost in the desert these days...

Rick C

 

[SATCOM]

Wyandot Jim

Makes perfect sense to me that your grandson would be knowledgeable of Geography, WWII, and spelling and I only know you from Ruger Forum. You are an experienced pilot with Son and Daughter pilots and military aviators??? Go places in a plane without map? Maps (of all types)form the basis of geography. You fly or like older aircraft I believe, with some pre WWII? Somebody who likes old planes must have WWII favorites. Every major battle involved air power. Spelling, who knows but is he well informed regarding firearms? My guess he is.

SATCOM

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Satcom.

Spelling, who knows but is he well informed regarding firearms? My guess he is.

He is very knowable on firearms. He was the VA State SASS Buckaroo champ at age 8.
He was out shooting his Dad's 1911 with rounds he reloaded on Sat..
Now this one really floored me. Over Christmas Holidays we went to the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific. It is located in Fredericksburg and is outstanding. Well they had a water cooled 30 cal. M1917 on display. So I thought I would show the
whippersnapper my smarts by explaining how it worked. Wrong After I said "look at this Chad" He went on to explain to old fart what it was and how the cooling system worked which was removed for aircraft use

 

[737tdi]

Howdy Jim, could you love that boy more? Ask him how a jet engine works. I want to know.

Karl

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Don't worry since his Dad rides them he knows EXACTLY how they work. Along with apposed, radials, rotaries and constant seep props.

Jet engs. suck, squeezes and blows :wink:

 

[exavid]

Kids are like sponges soaking up information that they're interested in. The trick is to get them started. When I was a kid I loved sailing vessels of all sizes. I know what a serving mallet, hanging knee, shutter plank, snotter and a lot of other esoteric info from that interest. Much the same with light aircraft. I'm teaching my 8 year old grandson to shoot now with the .22 rifle I bought for him. He's getting pretty good too. But besides the basics, range rules, and parts and functions of his rifle we talk about I find us ranging to many other subjects during our couple hours ever Wednesday afternoon. I've stirred his interest in several subjects and he's surprised many times with his knowledge and vocabulary. Strange that dealing with a grandchild can be so much more different than with my own kids. Perhaps it's the different relationship, my age or a combination of things but it is interesting and very satisfying.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Strange that dealing with a grandchild can be so much more different than with my own kids. Perhaps it's the different relationship, my age or a combination of things but it is interesting and very satisfying.

Hi,

Dunno where I saw the line, but have always remembered it:

"Kids and grandparents share a bond in their common enemy, the parents!"

Rick C