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"Geography" continues to be a foreign word to many Americans

I'm really starting to think we should make world geography courses mandatory from grade school through college. Yet another recent report showcased our lack of knowledge in the area with regard to Africa and Ebola.

It's being reported that Susan Sherman, a registered nurse and teacher at St. Margaret Mary school in Louisville, Kentucky, has resigned from her position at the school after the school received complaints from parents about her going to Africa on a mission and potentially endangering their children with exposure to Ebola. The problem with this is Ms. Sherman's mission work was in the country of Kenya, which is approximately 3,300 miles away from the Ebola outbreak. That's the equivalent of driving by car from Seattle, Washington, to Miami, Florida. It would take about 2.25 days to travel to Miami from Seattle by car. In other words, Ms. Sherman wasn't anywhere near Ebola while in Africa. Using this comparison as my guide, these parents would likely say the following things to others whom traveled to either Miami or Seattle:

- "Oh, you went to Miami? Did you see the Space Needle thingy? It's right near there, right?"

- "Seattle? Wow... Isn't it hurricane season there?"

- "Miami? Very cool. Did you catch a Seahawks game while you were there? They won the Super Bowl last year, right?"

- "It's way too muggy in Seattle this time of the year! The thunderstorms are intense too! I don't think I could ever live in the Southeast."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/03/kentucky-teacher-resigns-ebola_n_6096824.html

http://www.distancefromto.net/distance-from/Liberia/to/Kenya

http://www.distance-cities.com/distance-seattle-wa-to-miami-fl

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