# FACT: I am the best teacher in the history of the world. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 30, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451 "2009-06-30T05:26:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/1 "2009-06-30T05:26:27Z")
Seriously, I am. No, really, I am! Stop giggling! I am teaching a summer school speech class at the school where I coach debate and while the class is pretty easy, the kids have to do one memorized, 5-7 minute, researched speech a week. We do all different kinds of speeches, but speeches they certainly do. This week, the kids have to write a speech talking about a problem in the world and use 5 sources. Not terribly difficult or anything, but they whined. So, in light of last week, I gave them an offer today: anyone who will get up Thursday and do the _entire_ Thriller dance can have a free pass on their speech, no questions asked. Yup. Socrates would be proud, no? 😃 (I really, really hope someone takes me up on my offer). ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/2 "2009-06-30T05:35:11Z")
Sounds like a lot of fun, for you. You got the video camera ready to go, right? _Right_? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/3 "2009-06-30T05:53:36Z")
There’s something weird about having kids do Michael Jackson. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/4 "2009-06-30T06:05:06Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > There’s something weird about having kids do Michael Jackson. 😉 for once. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/5 "2009-06-30T06:15:51Z")
In sixth grade, my math teacher would often manage to motivate the class by saying “anybody who gets this right doesn’t have to come to school tomorrow.” He always seemed to make this offer on a Friday. And what speaks volumes about us students is that it always worked. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/6 "2009-06-30T07:11:55Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > for once. The bus to Hell must be getting pretty full by now… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/7 "2009-06-30T20:08:21Z")
I had an English teacher do something like that once. I forget the exact reward, but I believe it was a 100 on a particularly daunting exam. The challenge? Recite Poe’s _[The Bells](http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/venturi-poebells.html)_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/8 "2009-06-30T20:56:04Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > In sixth grade, my math teacher would often manage to motivate the class by saying “anybody who gets this right doesn’t have to come to school tomorrow.” > > He always seemed to make this offer on a Friday. And what speaks volumes about us students is that it always worked. Yeah, well, who the hell wants to go to school on Saturday? ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/9 "2009-06-30T21:30:57Z")
Last year I bought a DVD that teaches the Thriller Dance. I had my fourth graders dancing the Thriller Dance–all six minutes of it by Halloween. After that, everytime we had a guest in the classroom, they wanted to do the Thriller Dance for them…I think I’m in contention for the title of best teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/10 "2009-06-30T22:03:45Z")
Would kids these days even know what “the Thriller dance” IS unless someone explained/showed it to them? The day before MJ’s death, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/11 "2009-06-30T22:12:23Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > Would kids these days even know what “the Thriller dance” IS unless someone explained/showed it to them? The day before MJ’s death, anyway? Probably not, which is all the better. Teach those whippersnappers how to research a little somethin’ outside of the classroom. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/12 "2009-06-30T22:13:43Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > The bus to Hell must be getting pretty full by now… > > 😃 Forget the bus, we got us a _convoy_. **DiosaBellissima** ,fun idea! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/13 "2009-06-30T22:59:54Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#): > > Would kids these days even know what “the Thriller dance” IS unless someone explained/showed it to them? The day before MJ’s death, anyway? It was in \*\*13 Going On 30 \*\* in 2004, when little girls may have watched it ? **Diosa** , will a rendition of Jennifer Garner doing a rendition of MJ count, even as partial credit? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/14 "2009-06-30T23:28:38Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > It was in \*\*13 Going On 30 \*\* in 2004, when little girls may have watched it ? > > **Diosa** , will a rendition of Jennifer Garner doing a rendition of MJ count, even as partial credit? Absolutely not. MICHAEL OR NOTHING! And funny enough, Friday, a student and I were watching MJ videos on You Tube while the class was more or less having free time at the end of the period. One little 6th grade walks up, looks at the screen, and says, “Who’s that?” Me: 😕 You don’t know who this? Really? Kid: _loooooooong pause_ Oooooooooh, that’s that singer, Billie Jean! Me: :eek::eek::eek::eek: OH MY GOD, YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW WHO THIS IS! I mean, I get it: they’re little ones. They have never seen AMAZING MJ, they only have seen crazy ass MJ, if that. But. .. still. It’s freakin’ Michael Jackson! ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/15 "2009-07-01T01:13:37Z")
Well, I can tell you that parents all over are now showing their kids youtube videos of MJ in his heyday. The kids hear about this mysterious dead guy and want to know who he was. My kids were impressed with the moonwalk. My friend’s kids were singing Thriller in the kitchen. So, it’s not going to be a total mystery to kids for very long. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fact-i-am-the-best-teacher-in-the-history-of-the-world/501451/16 "2009-07-01T02:39:17Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Yeah, well, who the hell wants to go to school on Saturday? Thanks for that, Captain Obvious.