today marks the 25th anniversary of the first airing of the game show "Jeopardy!" -- initially hosted by art fleming, and since 1984 by alex trebek. back in the day i excelled at getting the correct answers, and would have been a formidable contestant. now, however, my recall operates too slowly to ever compete, though my answers are still usually correct. the show isn't a heavy intellectual exploration, but does provide an entertaining challenge to the depth and breadth of one's knowledge. now if only we could get alex to laugh a little more ....
a footnote: in the early 1990s when i was teaching biology, math and environmental studies at a small private school in suburban philadelphia, i made my own portable Jeopardy board, with pockets for each question and category title, large enough to be visible to the entire class. it was very versatile -- on fridays, when my kids' attention was at an ebb anyway, i would spice up my classes with contests between groups of students. i customized the questions and answers to fit the subject being taught, reinforcing what they'd learned. not to mention the added enticement of prizes for the winners. fun all around.
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