Assuming Common Knowledge is Common

 Not everyone thinks the same. The world would be an uninteresting place if we did. However, sometimes the vast distance between what I think is common knowledge and what some 13 years old actually know is scaringly huge. A giant canyon that, at times, seems too wide to bridge. With such an immense chasm between us, I think that even if I jumped up and down waving my arms frantically they could probably only make out a vague shape in the far distance.

I had one of those moments today.

My class have been studying Victorian England and factors that led to British migrants moving to New Zealand in the nineteenth century. Naturally there have been interesting questions about that time period.

World War II was in the nineteenth century, wasn’t it?

Did they have TV cartoons back then?

The class covered a lot of research material about Victorian living conditions, child labour, housing, health, medicine and poverty. We read a book called Young Exile about a teenage English girl who immigrates to New Zealand in 1849 (a good Young Adult book - I enjoyed it).

Their assignment is to write a diary of a nineteenth century British emigrant before, during and after their three-month journey to New Zealand. They have to include certain historical aspects and be convincing in their descriptions.

I started marking the drafts today. On the whole they were good until I came across the line:

I am leaving England because I am too poor to buy McDonalds and want to go somewhere where I can have McDonalds.
(Spelling and syntax corrected)

Naturally I questioned the student as to whether McDonalds was historically accurate. He said that yes it was. Apparently a lack of Big Macs was one of the major ‘push’ factors involved in nineteenth century emigration from England. I mentioned that McDonalds did not exist in the nineteenth century and the look on his face was one of horror. He claims to not believe me and will be ‘checking it out’ (ie. asking his parents) tonight.

I don’t know why he is having such a hard time accepting this fact. The students were fairly unquestioning about all the other information I gave them about Victorian England.

Women couldn’t vote. Fine. Many children had to work long hours in dangerous and unpleasant jobs. Believable. No McDonalds? Impossible!!!

Is a time before Happy Meals ™ existed to terrifying for their young minds to contemplate?