Mason-Dixon

One of the more fascinating "landmarks" in the United States is the Mason-Dixon line.  Supposedly, this is the line that divides the north from the south.  There is a sign denoting it's presence at the southern most border of Pennsylvania along interstate 95.  For some reason, I've not noticed this on the western border of Pennsylvania when traveling along interstate 79. 
So, why write a blog about this, right?  Well while I report that there is a sign denoting the point at which a person approaches the Mason-Dixon Line, there appears to be no other physical landmarks to visit at this point.  My trusty friend, the Internet, has told me that there are small stone markers that occur every 5 miles near the Mason-Dixon Line to denote where you are in relation to the line with a "P" engraving meaning you are on the Pennsylvania side and an "M" engraving meaning that you are on the Maryland side of the line.

When I used to teach, the students had to take their standardized tests with roughly a month left in the school year.  After this, many teachers showed movies, had "Play Day" or other activities that were not largely attached to the objectives that had to be taught throughout the year and were largely tertiary in relation to normal instruction.  I never believed in this, mainly because it was my job to teach as long as school was in session, but also because I observed that many classrooms had behavior problems due to the unstructured nature of these school days.  My goal was to keep the day as normal as possible.  One activity that I used to work with students on was to plan a trip across the country.  During this trip, there were certain things that they would have to work into their trip, such as determining how much gas they would have to buy, where they would eat, and most importantly, which landmarks they would like to visit.  Great idea, right?  Well, it wasn't without complications.  One group decided that they would like to plan a trip to the Mason-Dixon Line. 

Here's my transcript of this revelation:
Me: Where are you traveling to?
Student: The Mason-Dixon Line...
Me: Why?
Student: Uh........
Me: What are you hoping to see there
*At this point, all of the students in the group are looking at each other trying to recall why they thought of this landmark.*
Me: Here's the deal, you've got to choose landmarks where there are things to do.  Do you know of any activities at the Mason-Dixon Line?
Student: Um.....no
Me: There might be more to it than this, but as far as I'm aware, there is a sign at the side of the Interstate saying "Mason-Dixon Line" and that's it.  It's not like there is a line painted across the road with a museum attached.
Student: Oh
Me: You can still go to the Mason-Dixon Line, but it won't count as one of your five landmarks

Student looks at me as if I'm crazy with the "Why would I want to do that" expression on their face.
Mission Accomplished and yet still Impossible.

So, beyond the fact that I taught my students the important lesson of working smarter not harder, I was also disappointed to reflect on the fact that there wasn't any museum of sorts to commemorate the Mason-Dixon Line.  It's one of the most famous lines in the United States.  After all, especially along the east coast, you always here someone say
"That's the stupidest looking outfit this side of Mason-Dixon..." or
"That is the finest cow this side of Mason-Dixon...", etc.
You get the idea.  Most great or dubious ideas are held in the regard of being the top or bottom in relation to their location with respect to Mason-Dixon.  As if, there could be a finer cow on the other side of Mason-Dixon, but we can't be sure so we're going to put the disclaimer out there.

Would love to report that this is the finest blog this side of Mason-Dixon, but sadly, when you write a blog about Mason-Dixon, you've said all that you have to say about your status.  Maybe I'll just buy one of those "Adopt-a-Highway" signs so I can at least put myself on par with Mason-Dixon, give or take a bicentennial.