While I've pared back my informal *education* and *homeschooling* lectures substantially, I still often get into conversations with people about teaching kids and whatnot.
Some semi-ditz was showering me with her theories on scholarship the other day when I interrupted:
CaptiousNut - What's 7 times 13?
Ditz - What?
CaptiousNut - What's 7 times 13?
Ditz - Ahhhh...ummmm
CaptiousNut - C'mon....What's 7 times 13?
Ditz - I'm not good at math.
CaptiousNut - You can't figure out 7 times 13?
Ditz - I can, but I need paper.
Now I could have easily called that bluff by furnishing her with paper and a number 2 pencil. But my point was made - that since she couldn't perform a simple 3rd grade math computation, that she was in no position to be pontificating on education. And cracking myself up was a delicious side-benefit!
So into my arsenal goes this retort - what's 7 times 13? - and y'all can feel free to wield it after you check the answer on a calculator.
And oh how I'd love to interrupt one of these politicians amid their *educational* speeches with that very question! Do you think President Obama even knows his *times tables*?
(Flashback 11 years ago, they got George Bush on an impromptu, albeit obscure, foreign policy quiz.)
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