Though his parents decided early in their marriage to homeschool their children, they never dreamed it would lead to their firstborn son winning the 2003 National Geographic Geography Bee.
James Williams, homeschooled from birth, was one of five million students to enter the bee in local contests, and one of the oldest of the 55 students to attend the national competition. Students came from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Virgin Islands, Pacific Territories, and the U.S. Department of Defense Schools.
After winning a local bee, then besting the others to represent Washington state at the national bee, James had to make it through the preliminaries to get into the top 10, and he entered the final rounds with a perfect score.
Answering the question, "Goa, a state in southwestern India, was a possession of which country until 1961?" James responded with "Portugal." Right again! And it landed him in the small circle of annual champions.
His first thought when he answered correctly was shock. He didn't comprehend he had won - it just didn't sink in or seem real. Then he realized everyone was screaming and knew he had won.
"I wasn't expecting this at all, it's really exciting," James said quietly. "It's really amazing. I never thought I would be able to get that far."
James is the oldest of six children born to Craig and Ann Williams, who have backgrounds in nuclear engineering and electrical engineer, respectively. So, James' interest in science comes in large part from his parents, but he has his own favorite subjects, especially science and the physical portions of geography, not just the maps and knowledge of places.
Studying an average of three hours a day, with surges up to five hours, James prepared for the local geography bee for four years. In 2002, he won his local homeschool bee, and almost made it to the top 10 at state. His favorite resources are atlases, especially the National Geographic atlas of the world and its desk reference. Some of the questions at the state and national level are pulled straight from these resources.
His mother's advice for parents is not to be afraid to buy good books. Though expensive, a good atlas is worth a lot in the ability to study - not just for the bee, but for life. And it's necessary that the child be interested, and not just doing this to appease a parent, relative, homeschool group, or friend. Since there are no specific curricula to use, it's almost imperative that it be a passionate hobby.
James learned geography deeply, pouring over library resources, taking notes, memorizing regions and who owned which lands, and when they changed hands. He studied the ethnic groups of each land and knew the names of their native languages. History books and geology resources also play a major role in his studies.
