"I don't like these kinds of tests," she grumbled to her best friend and fellow student, looking with narrowed eyes at the sample test they had been given to use as a guide.
"What's wrong with them?" he asked, puzzled. "They seem easier to me than the ones I get in my other classes."
"I don't like tests where there are no right or wrong answers, I want something I can hang my hat on and know I've gotten it correct and I'm going to get a good grade!" she answered in a huff.
He didn't quite know what to say to that, especially as he enjoyed the discussion nature of the tests in this class, they appealed to the idea that he couldn't quite fully express, that all of life wasn't so black and white as she wanted it to be.
It would take her many more years to learn that lesson, that there isn't always only one right answer.
Linking up with Uncharted Blog and Six Sentence Stories, where the cue is Right.
Today is:
Administrative Professionals Day (original date)
Aggie Muster -- Texas A&M University
Birthday of Rome -- Rome, Italy (753 BCE)
Buccaneer Days Festival -- Corpus Christi, TX, US (rodeo, festival, parade, and fun; through May 1)
Feast of Wadjet (a/k/a Udjet or Buto) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Fiddlers' Frolics -- Hallettsville, TX, US (home of the Texas State Fiddler Championships; through Sunday)
First Day of Ridvan -- Baha'i (began sunset yesterday; through May 2)
Get to Know Your Customers Day (celebrated the 3rd Thursday quarterly)
Grounation Day -- Rastafari (one of the Rastafarian's most important festivals, in honor of Haile Selassie's 1966 visit to Jamaica)
Harpa Month Begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (Harp, dedicated to young women as last month was dedicated to young men)
Sumardagurinn Fyrsti -- first day of summer, a legal holiday
Harrogate Spring Flower Show -- Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England (Britain's premier spring flower show; through Sunday)
Heroica Defensa de Veracruz -- Mexico (Heroic Defense of Veracruz)
Homecoming of the Elves -- Fairy Calendar (Singing Festival)
Iroquois Corn Planting Ceremony -- Iroquois Native Americans (three day celebration, always around this time of year)
John Muir Day -- US (American conservationist)
Kartini Day -- Indonesia (honoring a leader who helped emancipate women)
Kindergarten Day -- Germany; US (birth anniversary of Friedrich Froebel, in 1782, who began the first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837)
Mibu Dainembutsu Kyogen -- Mibu Temple, Kyoto, Japan (nine day festival of kyogen performances which dates back to 1299)
Nagasaki Tall Ships Festival -- Nagasaki, Japan (sailing festival, commemorating the 16th century opening of Nagasaki as Japan's sole foreign trade port; through the 25th)
National Chocolate-Covered Cashew Truffle Day
National D.A.R.E Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation)
National High Five Day -- raising money for cancer research, sponsored by the National High Five Project
National Tree Planting Day -- Kenya
Paralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (shepherd's festival of Pares, goddess of herders)
Poem in Your Pocket Day -- carry your favorite with you to share with friends and family to celebrate National Poetry Month
Queen's Birthday -- Falkland Islands; St. Helena(except Tristan da Cunha)
San Jacinto Day -- Texas, US
St. Anselm of Canturbury's Day
St. Bueno Gasulsych's Day (Patron of diseased cattle, sick animals, and sick children)
Support Teen Literature Day -- US (on the Thursday of National Library Week)
Tiradentes Day/Brasilia Day -- Brazil (honors Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, called "tooth puller", who fought for Brazilian independence)
Inauguration of Brasilia, Distrito Federal -- Brazil (anniversary of the 1960 inauguration of the new federal capital)
World Creativity and Innovation Day -- final day of World Creativity and Innovation Week, which always begins on DaVinci's birth anniversary
Birthdays Today:
Dylan Bruce, 1980
James McAvoy, 1979
Robert Smith, 1959
Andie MacDowell, 1958
James Morrison, 1954
Tony Danza, 1951
Patti LuPone, 1949
Iggy Pop, 1947
Charles Grodin, 1935
Elaine May, 1932
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, 1926
Anthony Quinn, 1915
John Muir, 1838
Charlotte Bronte, 1816
Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel, 1782
Catherine the Great, 1729
Jan van Riebeeck, 1619
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Annie"(Musical), 1977
"Inherit the Wind"(Play), 1955
"Arms and the Man"(Play), 1894
Today in History:
Traditional date for the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus, BC753
Marc Antony continues to battle the senators who assasinated Julius Caesar in the Battle of Mutina, which he loses, BC43
Henry VIII ascends the throne of England, 1509
Hernan Cortez lands in Veracruz, 1519
The Maryland Toleration Act is passed, granting religious freedom to all in that colony, 1649
Catherine the Great ends noble privileges in Russia, 1785
Tiradentes, leader of the independence movement in Brazil, is executed, 1792
Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat Mexican troops under Santa Ana, winning the Battle of San Jacinto and the independence of Texas, 1836
The first train crosses the first bridge over the Mississippi River, crossing from Rock Island, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa, 1855
Alexander Douglas patents the bustle, 1857
Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i' faith, declares his mission, 1863
The first firehouse pole is installed in a firehouse in NYC, 1878
The Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen)is shot down, 1918
The first Aggie Muster is held, a remembrance of fellow Texas A&M graduates who had died in the previous year, 1922
Brasilia is officially inaugurated as the capital of Brazil, 1960
In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang, 1989
Alexander Wolszczan announces his the discovery of extrasolar planets, 1994
The ashes of Timothy Leary and Gene Roddenberry are launched into orbit, 1997
By order of an Egyptian court, the name of Egypt's former President, Hosni Mubarak, is stripped from public spaces, schools and streets, 2011
I know the feeling well but I must admit I used to love the tests where I could give my own opinion. I didn't like learning stuff by rote just so I could right a correct answer. What's the point in that? Great post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what an Aggie is. Had to Google it. a student at Texas A&M. In the early 1900s, Texas A&M students were referred to as "Farmers." The term Aggie began to be used in the 1920s, and in 1949, when the yearbook changed its name from The Longhorn to Aggieland, Aggie became the official student body nickname.
ReplyDeleteNow I know.
I’m exploring different types of dreams and their meanings.
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Stephen Tremp’s Breakthrough Blogs
I like the purity of math because there is only one answer, but I'm good at loading the BS in those opinion based tests, too.
ReplyDeleteI never liked the black and white tests. GIve me an essay any day although I am still learning about black and white and all or none on a daily basis in real life!
ReplyDeleteThere isn't always just one right answer. I to agree.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Those questions are the kind that make us think. I think at times in our lives it is easy to think of things as black or white, but we risk closing ourselves off from lots of possibilities (in the gray area). Hope you'll stop by my blog this week and read the questions I asked and maybe answer one. You'll always be right.
ReplyDeleteVal from My Virtual Vineyard
I used to fear essay questions (written) but would enjoy the occasions where answers on tests were used as prompts for classroom discussion.
ReplyDelete(I just looked around, figuratively speaking and laughed at myself)
Philosophy class? I remember a class that was for debate. No, it wasn't a debate class, it was actually a social studies class, the teacher just liked to argue. I really didn't do well, as I don't like to speak up in class, and do NOT like to argue. I survived... But black and white? Maybe in math...
ReplyDeleteCat
Life would be so much simpler is complicated questioned had only one answer.
ReplyDeletegreat post
ReplyDeletesadly so.
ReplyDeleteThe questions were geared to make you think...not of one answer, but a possibility of more. This type of thing happens in life every day..all answers to things are not always so simple. There can be so many variations. Great story!
ReplyDeleteI was raised in the belief that life was very black and white, and it took me awhile to discover we can't judge everything with that razor sharp edge, there are so many shades in between that we don't always see clearly! Great story, great message too!
ReplyDeleteMankind had advanced (not always for the best reason) by being inventive and experimenting with original thought. How much we have advanced by someone saying "I wonder what would happen if we did it this way?" Great food for thought in your post today.
ReplyDelete