Iowa NOT Idaho

Since at least second grade we have been learning our states and capitals. And as we got older we had to know where the states were on a map. What I don’t understand is how people from different states don’t know anything about Iowa.  

Did you know we grow potatoes? No? Well according to pretty much everyone that doesn’t live in or near Iowa we do. For the people that live in Iowa we know that Idaho grows the potatoes and Iowa grows corn. I honestly don’t know how people get Idaho and Iowa confused.

Over the summer I was in Florida visiting my aunt and uncle. While I was there someone asked me what I did for fun in Iowa during the summer. As I started talking about going to the pool, she started saying asking me about the mountains in Iowa. I just sat there, shocked. So many things were going through my head at that point. What mountains? I’ve never seen mountains in Iowa. Are you sure you know where Iowa is?

Another lady legitimately did not know where Iowa was on the map. She asked me if it was near Ohio. I explained that Iowa is way west of Ohio. Some of the questions I get I don’t know how to react. It can be hard to keep a straight face at times.

I try to be as nice and straight face as possible when people say things like this, but sometimes it is hard. That fact that in second grade is when we learned our states and capitals, it makes me wonder if they just never learned them. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have learned them, though. It is a pretty big part of their world since we all live in the same country.

One thing that makes it even worse is that the people that ask me these questions are not our age. They are adults. The comment about the mountains and Ohio were both from college students. In my opinion they should probably know more about their county than they do.

This subject is not new either. I can’t remember the first time I heard someone say that we grew potatoes in Iowa. I think schools need to make it a point to study more about the U.S. because this is where we live and our future depends on the education we get today. I don’t understand why people don’t know anything about Iowa, but let’s start informing people correctly what we are all about here.

(430 words)