An Ode to School Teachers – The Saviors of Trivia Night

As office workers reluctantly put another Labor Day weekend behind them, another group of hard-working people who have just had a well-earned 2-month summer break also must come to grips with returning to the workplace. They are of course school teachers, the shepherds of our young, who must get up at the crack of dawn to commute in the dark to urban, suburban and rural temples of learning, where they toil tirelessly all day among students, administrators, parents and their fellow classroom educators.

It’s an extremely rewarding, yet exhausting job – my wife is a public elementary school teacher here in NYC, so I get to witness it firsthand. To her and all of the other teachers going back to school this week, I have this to say: we support you!

I’ve seen you guys all summer at our pub quizzes, loving the fact that you can stay up late on weeknights showing off knowledge and proving yourselves to be brain champions. I know how hard it is to go back to the grueling school schedule, and that even the most dedicated among you will have days which make you question your decision to work in the classroom. But know this: without people like you, where will the next generation of trivia lovers learn things like:

1. Who was the first US vice president?
2. Which US state only borders 1 other?
3. Where is the Marianas Trench?
4. What is the square root of -1?
5. How cold is absolute zero?
6. Which element does the letter “K” represent on the periodic table?
7. Who killed Hamlet?
8. What note comes after A flat?
9. Which mammal lays eggs?
10. What’s a simile like?

Yes, the fall season is difficult for you; the days will be getting shorter, the mornings colder. But you are the ones who keep everything moving along on the right path, the ones who make trivia night fun and the ones who make learning a lifelong adventure for our youth. Good luck this year, teachers of the world, and keep your heads high- I expect to see you at our events again soon.

Now quick, close this window- you’re not supposed to be on the Internet at school!