Questioning the need to know misc. facts.

When we were planning for this school year, Connor informed me that he needed to learn all the state capitols. Apparently, Austin learned them at about this age, and Connor decided that would suffice for Geography for this year. Looking at his list of capitols, all set out on flashcards that Connor created, I can't help but wonder... Why does he need to memorize all the capitols? Of course, everyone should know their own state's capitol, but if we need to know the rest of the capitols ever, we can look them up. Perhaps it's just me. I list the ability to memorize a bunch of facts low on the list of "thinking skills." The ability to find the information when needed, and then analyze the information, to me, seems more valuable. Asking questions, such as WHY is Albany the capitol of New York, rather than New York City? Hmmm. Let's see. It must have to do with when NY acquired Albany, vs. when NYC became part of our state...or maybe it had to do with where the governor lived at that time. Let's develop a hypothesis and then, after researching it, see if we were right. Who cares if Connor knows all the capitols by heart? Or maybe it is important. I could be dead wrong. I just believe if he's ever involved in a profession that requires that type of information off the top of his head,such as politics, he'll take the time to memorize it then.But onward we plod, in our attempts to make sure we meet NYS standards. Let's work through these flashcards, memorize this info, and move forward with something that requires more brain power.