Have you heard of the Jeff Foxworthy TV series, “Are you smarter than a 5th grader?” When that series premiered in 2007, I thought it was going to be the biggest waste of time and might last one season. Well… as it turns out, I was wrong. It lasted eight seasons and is still re-running on the Nickelodeon network today. Why, you might ask? Well, about mid-series I began to watch the show, and I was instantly hooked. It was hilarious watching highly educated individuals being slammed by these adorable 9 year-old kids! The humor of the show is wrapped up in the premise that the medical doctor and Noble Peace Prize winning adults should have no problems answering content questions derived from first through fifth grade standardized content curriculum, but they do… As a side note, during the run of the show there were only two individuals who won the $1 million cash prize, and one of them was from the state of Georgia!

Last week, I caught a rerun of an episode, and it got me thinking… Are we smarter than the kids we teach?

The value we bring as educators to the classroom is our unique ability to design learning experiences that engage students, pique their interest, and foster enjoyment while expanding their knowledge of the subject. When students enjoy academic tasks, they are intrinsically motivated to do well. It is one of our primary responsibilities as educators to foster a love of life-long learning while teaching content, fostering critical thinking, cultivating leadership, and building resilience within our students. These are not easy tasks. I would challenge any fifth grader to answer questions on classroom management, student engagement, curriculum scaffolding, or leadership cultivation. In fact, that would make a great sequel, “Are you smarter than your teacher?” I would definitely watch that show. Jeff, if you are reading this article call me and I will set you up with your next project!

While those cute fifth graders who we saw on the TV showing up some of the most intelligent people in the world were extremely impressive, we have to consider who helped them get to that stage – their teachers. Being an educator requires brilliance. In order to be highly successful in reaching students today, we must go far outside of our comfort zones, learn new methods to teach old content, and engage in new systems to solve daily challenges. So, are we smarter than the kids we teach? You tell me…