It’s a huge hit on TV – the show that takes adults of normal intelligence and delights in pitting them against precocious fifth graders. But the reason shows like “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader” go on to enjoy successful runs is because human tendency makes us voyeurs who get a thrill out of making our fellow human beings make fools of themselves on national television. If you’ve been a part of the show and did not come out looking too good, it’s no cause for shame – in spite of what the title says, if you lose, it does not mean you’re less smart than a fifth grader. And here are the reasons why:
- Lessons memorized as children do not stay with us beyond the boundaries that separate one class from the next, leave alone for the rest of our lives. So if you’re not familiar with little nuggets of information that a fifth grader is aware of, there’s no need to be ashamed.
- The fifth graders on the show are currently learning about all the topics you’re quizzed on, so it follows that they seem more knowledgeable than you.
- Even the parents of those fifth graders who seemingly outsmarted you will probably not know the answers to those questions you missed.
- As an adult in a well-paying (or satisfactory) job, there’s no need for you to be classified “smart” only if you beat a fifth grader at a quiz on information that he/she’s been learning for a whole year.
- The term “smart” is used to denote intelligence in this show. And if you’re smart enough (and have the time to spare), you’ll beg, borrow or steal a fifth grader’s books and brush up on facts before you appear on the show. While this may constitute cheating in the books of the show’s organizers, it’s just a way to avoid coming across as an ignorant idiot who lets a kid get the better of him/her.
The point I’m trying to make here is that education is a discipline, a learning process that helps in the development of children; it’s not an accumulation of facts or information that are not going to be of any practical use in real life. So the fact remains – a show that tests intelligence based on such facts is not very smart after all!