”All of your other classes? Math? Language Arts? Science? Social Studies?”

“Yes. All of them.”

“And what is the teacher asking you to do? Just sit there and be entertained?”

“Well, no. We have to take notes and then write about it or do a worksheet.”

“So you’re doing work in there in addition to watching a movie?”

“I guess so.”

“So really I’m not asking you to do nearly as much as your other classes, huh?”

“Mr. Garner, why do you always twist around what I say?”

“It’s my job. I’m a teacher.”

This does make me want to show some videos though. I’m glad that my colleagues are using the language of students (video) to sneak in learning when they think it’s already summer vacation. It’s interesting, isn’t it? The difference between “learning” and “having fun” in the eyes of 8th graders? Sometimes I wonder if their minds would explode if they realized the two weren’t mutually exclusive.

But then they might not be prepared for The Test That Shall Not Be Named. After all, when you don’t have a test to prep for, it’s amazing to consider the learning that can take place…
—Greg Garner