Where in the world is Chechnya??

All week, the news has focused on the horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon. The event attracts runners from all over the world, including Southeast Missouri.

Just a few days ago, I read that the U.S, ambassador to Czechoslovakia, also known as the Czech Republic, was trying to give the world a geography lesson by explaining the difference between "Czech" and "Chechnya."

For those of us who have been following the events of the last week (and who can avoid it?), we are well aware that the two infamous accused Boston Marathon bombers are of ethnic Chechen origin.

Chechnya is a war-torn region in southern Russia, where rebels have been fighting for their independence, ever since most of the residents can remember.

Czechoslovakia, on the other hand, is a relatively stable country, bordering Germany and Poland on the south and Austria and Hungary on the north.

This confusion doesn't surprise me.

For years, I've been alarmed about the lack of geographical knowledge in our public schools. Every once in awhile, I'll come across a history teacher who has a passion for geography and the ability to make his/her students excited about learning where countries are and what's happening around the world.

I fear that such teachers are rare, and, in order to be successful, they have to have some home support. Students who have no access to maps or world globes at home are at risk of growing up in a world no larger than their own immediate neighborhood.

My own 7-year old grandson Evan recently took me to his room and showed me a large world map that "Mommy and Daddy" had put on eye level on the wall behind his door. He was so proud of it.

Sadly, I remember a temporary stint as a substitute teacher in a school, where I discovered that a class of ninth graders couldn't locate Missouri on a U.S. map.

This is sad. How can we have an informed electorate, if our young people have no more knowledge of the world than what they see in their video games or on a trip to the local grocery store?

Even better than book learning is when parents can take their children on trips that teach geography, first-hand. I'll never forget a family trip to Nashville to see the Parthenon or to Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. I twice led my Oran students on a tour of Europe, and I know that some of the Advance teachers have done the same thing.

As parents and grandparents, there are many things we can do to broaden our children's education outside the classroom. Malden, Missouri has a lovely, interactive children's museum, where young ones can explore the world, without leaving Missouri. The Nature Center between Cape and Jackson is a good location in which to broaden narrow horizons.