When teachers don't teach...

Reminiscing about school with a friend, today.

In the beginning of year 11, at Pittwater High School on Sydney's Northern beaches, we were split into two Physics classes. They did it by putting those at the from the front in one class, and those at the back in another class. Sitting at the back and joking with my friends, I looked around and realized the other nerdy kids were at the front. I moved my chair forward.

The other class apparently enjoyed themselves. Even their teacher mucked around instead of working (or so they claimed). Some time later, after an assessment exam, he was reading out an exam. Partway through, someone asked "Sir, is this out of 20?" He replied "No, it's a percentage."

One person in their class passed, with 65% (and he was a very smart kid). We, the "girly swats" in the other room, did well.

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Actually, I have a bit of a gripe against that teacher. I had the chance to try out for the Physics Olympiad in Year 11, as I'd always done well in the (state? national?) science competitions. I was on my own - my school didn't really cater for that sort of thing - but I gave it my best shot, and handed in my exam to the teacher, who did the initial marking. (If I did well enough, it would be checked and I'd go to the next stage.

He told me later that he had to give me half marks because I hadn't included units. Um, there weren't any units, I said. Yes there were, he said. I was seriously disappointed. He didn't have time to go through it with me and told me to come back later. When I caught him a couple of days later (I wasn't feeling enthusiastic when I'd apparently stuffed up) he told me sorry, but he'd already sent it away to the Olympiad people. He gave me the answer paper, which I put away and didn't look at till I told the story to my brother more than a year later, and showed him the paper.

There were no units. The correct answers did not use units (i.e. units were part of the variables). As far as I'd been able to work out, if I'd been marked correctly, I would have been borderline for making it through to the next stage. It's possible I would have made it - or at least I would have had a more impressive rejection letter.