Have you ever been in a class and thought Does he even know what he is talking about? I could probably teach this better. Even though you may think this, teachers are certified in the subject that they are teaching. Just because students may not understand what is being taught, doesn’t mean teachers don’t know. Maybe students just need to ask for a different explanation. No matter what the results of this test—Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?—are, respect teachers. Not because they are adults and students are children, but because they are people just like students are.
Mr. Ian Smith, an English teacher at Greenwood High School, took the Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? test. Having five minutes to answer as many questions, in a 20-question format, Mr. Smith used his time diligently, talking about his answers as he did. While he answered, he talked it out and walked himself through the questions. He talked while he answered the questions. When he didn’t know something, instead of moving on to a different question, he stayed there until he figured it out. He didn’t waste time or try to distract himself. When his test was graded, some of his test answers were marked with half credit. They were correct, but his answers weren’t quite what was on the answer key. He refused to take half credit. He wore down until he was given full marks. He then called both Mrs. Mary Beth McGinty, the journalism teacher, and Mr. Scott Poe, an English teacher, just to confirm that he was correct. When he got to the incorrect questions he didn’t fight.
The contestant is a student, Mackinzzie Ausbrooks. Ausbrookes also had five minutes to answer questions. She seemed to be ignoring difficult questions and moving on to the next question. She didn’t waste time asking questions. Ausbrookes talked out loud to herself. She got distracted a few times but eventually got herself back on track. She diligently checked how much time she had left, which made her nervous. When she finished she seemed to feel relieved to be done. When her answers were checked she seemed shocked at the results.
Out of 20 questions, Mr. Smith answered only 19 of the questions but got 18 correct. This gives him about 95%. That is good for someone who has graduated from school for some time now versus a student who is still learning in school. Ausbrookes on the other hand got full marks, she answered all the questions and got all of them correct. This shows that teachers know what they are talking about. They just do not update their knowledge as often as students who actively do every day. They use what they have instead of changing what they know. This does not mean they are stupid, it just means that some adults need to give students the benefit of the doubt; kids are still learning, the information is fresh in their minds, and they know more than you think. Just like it was said in the introduction, adults need to respect kids because they are people too.
