Patrick's Saturday Six #239

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1. If you had to fill in as a substitute teacher at a local middle school, what subject would you be most comfortable teaching? Strangely enough, I've actually taught at a middle school, but just one subject for just one semester: sex ed (after which I went to grad school). I was comfortable teaching it then, and I'd probably be comfortable teaching it now.

2. When you were in school, what was a better indication of your true understanding of what you were learning: class participation, the accuracy of your homework, or your test scores? I'd say test scores, but class participation would be a close second.

3. You meet someone for the first time and have a brief conversation with them. If you run into them the next afternoon, how likely are you to remember their name? If I've actually had a conversation, chances are excellent that I'll remember their name. However, if there were no conversation, just an introduction, chances are HUGE I won't remember their name, but will remember eye color, clothing, anything that actually caught my interest.

4. Take the quiz: Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

There Are 0 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge: No Gaps! Where you don't have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy Religion Economics Literature History Science Art

5. If you had “gaps” in your knowledge, did you expect to have them where they were predicted? If you had none, which of the listed subjects would be the ones you’d most expect gaps to be? I'm amazed that I had none (and yes, I only took the quiz one time). The most likely place for gaps for me is economics.

6. If you could go back to school for one semester free of charge and “try again” with any subject, which one would you choose and why? I didn't even have to think about this. I'd go back and study botany in a New York minute. I absolutely love taking a hike and looking at the different plants along the way...and the older I get, the more I want to know about all of them. And a friend who taught me a thing or two about surviving in the desert, the late (and terrific) David Alloway, believed it was important to know the Latin names of all plants, among other things, because as David put it, if you'd encountered the wrong plant and ended up in the ER, it could make an important difference in your treatment.