www.theonion.com
UNIONTOWN, PA—Most educators view multiple-choice exams as an opportunity to couch the correct answer amidst three or four other plausible alternatives. Not so for Uniontown High School teacher Tom Campbell. Campbell, 47, who has taught freshman history at the school for the past 11 years, uses the popular test format not only to instruct but also to delight his students with his quirky sense of humor.
"What was the Great Awakening?" a question from one of Campbell's most recent tests reads. "(a) Coffee and a bagel, (b) The name given to FDR's evening radio addresses, (c) 'C'mon, Mom! Let me sleep five more minutes!' or (d) A dramatic religious revival in Anglo-American history."The answer is D," said Campbell, holding back a wry smile. "Giving them the option of 'Coffee and a bagel.' Get it?"
It's hard to imagine, but this life-of-the-classroom didn't always write his exams in such an amusing fashion. Campbell says that it wasn't until 2001—the year he turned 40—that he began to feel stifled by the standard, school-sanctioned exams and decided his tests would go in a more unorthodox direction.
"I'll never forget that first joke answer," Campbell said. "The question was 'Reconstruction can best be described as,' and I decided to make one of the choices—I think it was C—'What will never happen to the school's broken-down auditorium.' All day long I was nervous the kids would think it was inappropriate, but when I heard a few giggles in the back of the classroom, I knew I had a gift for this kind of thing."
No comments:
Post a Comment