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This is Getting Out of Hand

Students at Burlington Junior School in Bridlington, England, have been told to stop raising their hands. Instead, when they want to volunteer to answer a question, they must give a “thumbs-up.” One parent says the gesture could embarrass students when they move on to secondary school — and besides, “it is going to make the class look like they are all imitating the Fonz from Happy Days.” But headteacher Cheryle Adams argues that the traditional hand-raising leads to too much excitement. “Some children put their hands up at every opportunity,” Adams says, “while others won’t, even if they know the answers.” (AC/London Telegraph) ...So she’s giving a thumbs-down to excited students who participate the most in class.
Original Publication Date: 30 October 2011
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 18.

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