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<font color=CC66CC>Short Post Man cracks me up!<br
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- Nov 25, 2001
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Good news for Home Schoolers. 
Thu May 22, 2003 09:32 AM ET
By Niala Boodhoo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 14-year-old who is taught at home by his mother beat 54 other students to win the title of U.S. National Geographic Bee champion and a prize worth $25,000 on Wednesday.
After blitzing through a series of stumpers such as questions about volcanic formations in Tanzania, James Williams from Washington state correctly answered a tie-breaker about which country possessed the Indian state of Goa until 1961.
Runner-up Dallas Simons said the United Kingdom, but James, who missed just three questions during the two-day National Geographic Society competition, never wavered when he wrote Portugal.
James and his fellow competitors are a far cry from the vast majority of young Americans.
About 11 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 cannot find their own country on a map, and another 50 percent could not properly identify China, the United Kingdom or Japan, according to last year's National Geographic-Roper Global Literacy Survey.
The survey placed the United States second to last and in front of only Mexico in terms of geographic literacy.
The curriculum in U.S. public schools is determined by each state, but only seven require that geography be taught as a separate course.
James has never attended any schools but is educated at home by his mother, who said he "pretty much teaches himself."
He said he studied up to five hours a day for the contest, where he won a $25,000 college scholarship.
"I'm pretty excited about winning," said the 8th-grader, who has already taken the SAT college entrance exam -- and made an almost perfect score -- but he said he hasn't thought yet about where he wants to attend university.
Thu May 22, 2003 09:32 AM ET
By Niala Boodhoo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 14-year-old who is taught at home by his mother beat 54 other students to win the title of U.S. National Geographic Bee champion and a prize worth $25,000 on Wednesday.
After blitzing through a series of stumpers such as questions about volcanic formations in Tanzania, James Williams from Washington state correctly answered a tie-breaker about which country possessed the Indian state of Goa until 1961.
Runner-up Dallas Simons said the United Kingdom, but James, who missed just three questions during the two-day National Geographic Society competition, never wavered when he wrote Portugal.
James and his fellow competitors are a far cry from the vast majority of young Americans.
About 11 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 cannot find their own country on a map, and another 50 percent could not properly identify China, the United Kingdom or Japan, according to last year's National Geographic-Roper Global Literacy Survey.
The survey placed the United States second to last and in front of only Mexico in terms of geographic literacy.
The curriculum in U.S. public schools is determined by each state, but only seven require that geography be taught as a separate course.
James has never attended any schools but is educated at home by his mother, who said he "pretty much teaches himself."
He said he studied up to five hours a day for the contest, where he won a $25,000 college scholarship.
"I'm pretty excited about winning," said the 8th-grader, who has already taken the SAT college entrance exam -- and made an almost perfect score -- but he said he hasn't thought yet about where he wants to attend university.
