|
Post by JeriJet on Nov 17, 2011 10:45:42 GMT -5
> If a kid starts school a year later or is left back to do a grade over again, > it's normally at the suggestion of the teacher. Parent's don't like to do > this, but will if they have to. I don't believe it has anything to do with the > parents ideas on maturity levels? Some parents think boys should start school a year later (say, kindergarten at age 6 instead of at age 5) because these boys are so "immature." I do not agree with or understand their reasoning, but I threw the idea out here on the forum because I know it happens. I think Jim-Bob's character was written to be brighter than most kids his age in the 1940s and was probably bored in school. I also don't think he was left back -- promoted on trial, yes, but not left back. Debby I never felt he was depicted as being brighter than most kids in his class (it was the 1930's....) until he reached his final year of high school. If anything, he always seemed a little "slow" to me.... except for his burning interest in cars and planes -- that seemed to be his redeeming feature. He could have well been left back (since he was two years older) and probably eventually became valedictorian because of the additional time spent in school, learning and maturing ! I think he finally came into his own at that point.
|
|
|
Post by childfree23 on Nov 17, 2011 11:31:27 GMT -5
>> I think Jim-Bob's character was written to be brighter than most kids >> his age in the 1940s and was probably bored in school. I also don't think >> he was left back -- promoted on trial, yes, but not left back. > > I never felt he was depicted as being brighter than most kids in his class > (it was the 1930's....) until he reached his final year of high school. If > anything, he always seemed a little "slow" to me.... except for > his burning interest in cars and planes -- that seemed to be his redeeming > feature.
I saw in Jim-Bob's character what I saw in a lot of the kids I worked with in a previous life: They could be a bit "slow" and under-achieving because they weren't intellectually stimulated. In the school I worked in, the teachers really couldn't be bothered doing more than the "standard of care" for their students -- the absolute minimum. In Jim-Bob's case, Cora Beth as the teacher at the time didn't know what to do with a young man like Jim-Bob, who wasn't afraid to speak his mind and who I think felt he was being intellectually held back -- thus, his boredom in school and apathy toward graduation. There's no denying that Jim-Bob was extremely talented mechanically, if not a mechanical genius, and I don't think he or anyone else on the Mountain knew what to do with this talent.
> He could have well been left back (since he was two years older) and > probably eventually became valedictorian because of the additional > time spent in school, learning and maturing ! I think he finally came > into his own at that point.
I'm not so sure his character was left back. If he was, and that's the way the writers wanted to "play" it, he would have been able to enlist in "The Conscience," which I'm guessing took place in January 1942. Then again, there was no real continuity after the end of Season 5, so I guess anything's possible. ;D
Debby
|
|
bucky
Reporter
Posts: 271
|
Post by bucky on Nov 18, 2011 19:30:37 GMT -5
In the Walton's era, it wasn't unusual to start school at 7 even 8, particularly if it was a long walk to school or the parents were waiting for a younger child to be old enough so they could go together. I never thought of Jim Bob as slow - just uninterested in school.
|
|
|
Post by JeriJet on Nov 18, 2011 20:56:45 GMT -5
I guess I need to explain my use of "slow" -- I should have used the term "late bloomer" .... To me, Jim-Bob did seem to be a little behind for quite a while. But, he did (eventually) seem to catch up. There's nothing wrong with that! We all progress at different speeds!
|
|
|
Post by Marilyn on Nov 18, 2011 23:00:06 GMT -5
I think that since the Jim Bob character was so good at creating things, fixing things, etc.. that book learning was a real snooze to him, thus he didn't have the urge to apply himself.
|
|
|
Post by dfnmeows44 on Nov 20, 2011 13:24:31 GMT -5
In The Lumberjack Paul Mattheyws calls Erin the fourth born of the Walton family. This means that Erin is older than Ben--so that discrepancy is settled.
|
|
|
Post by sarahwalton78 on May 27, 2015 0:32:42 GMT -5
I was watching the show where Jim-Bob tries to sign up with the naval reserve and gave his birthday as June 13, and I think the year was 1924. It got me wondering if we were told anyone else's birthday on the show. Anyone here recall a reference? Just wondering... Cindy's is explicitly stated as April 26, 1925. As for Jim Bob, his goes back and forth between June 13, 1924 and January 13, 1924. Mary Ellen tells her parents in "The Ring" that her birthstone is the diamond, meaning her birthday is in April. She was probably born in 1920 or 1921. Erin's and Ben's birthdays aren't stated, but Ben is clearly younger because in the episode with Erin's graduation (The Career Girl), John is talking about his children graduating and Ben pipes up with "I'm next!". I always assumed that Erin and Ben were born less than 2 years apart, much like John-Boy and Jason. Elizabeth's birthday is never stated but because of the Halloween-themed episode "The Changeling" centered around her 13th birthday, I assume that hers is in October. Olivia's in in the Summer sometime since the children were out of school in "The Air Mail Man." Both Zeb's and Esther's are in the Spring, probably April or May. As for John, I'm not sure. In "The Conscience," Olivia remembers how cold it was the night that Jason was born, so he could very well have a winter birthday. As for the rest, your guess is as good as mine. Hope this helps!
|
|