Students and teachers spend everyday in the same building, but how much do they really know about each other’s worlds? Both groups answered three questions, ranging from student life to academic trivia to throwback questions. I interviewed three teachers and three students to find out which group – students or teachers – knows more!
Round 1: Student Life
The first round focused on student culture. Some of the questions were as follows:
- What does FYP mean on TikTok?
- What does it mean to have a “streak” with someone on snapchat?
- What was a popular show released in the last year?
- Which artist released the album “Midnights”?
Mrs. Allen thought that FYP on TikTok meant “for your pleasure”, but in reality it means “for your page.” Although “for your pleasure” would make sense, Mrs. Allen is not well versed in Tiktok jargon. However, she answered 2 out of 3 questions correctly!
For Addie Prindeville, answering which artist released the album “Midnights” was easy as she quickly answered Taylor Swift. Addie easily recalled this pop culture moment to help increase the students’ overall score. Addie only got one out of three correct, not knowing “old-school” references or a specific trivia question.
Round 2: Back In The Day
Next, students had to identify cultural references that teachers grew up with while teachers got to remember crucial parts from their past. Students struggled with questions such as, “What is a walkman?”, “What is a pager?”, and “What is a floppy disk used for?” while every teacher answered the Round 2 questions correctly.
Mrs. Tortola correctly identified a cassette tape, stating that she used to have many. Clearly, Mrs. Tortola is a trivia expert because she got a perfect score on all three categories, leading the participants in points.
Jenna Varholak reported that a floppy disk was used to store “written things.” Surprisingly, Jenna answered this question correctly as a floppy disk is used to store or transfer information.
Round 3: Academic Trivia
Finally, each group answered a general knowledge trivia question. The questions for this category were broad and based on things that both teachers and students should have learned during one point in their academic career. For example, “What year did the U.S. declare independence?”, “What is the chemical symbol for gold?”, or “Who painted the Mona Lisa?”.
Mr. George responded to the question, “What is photosynthesis?”, by saying he believes it has something to do with sunlight, water, and cells. Although Mr. George did not remember his biology lessons, he enthusiastically answered the other two questions correctly.
Paige Fabella immediately responded with the main function of the mitochondria saying it is the powerhouse of the cell and a source of energy. Having just taken bio freshman year, as a sophomore Paige was able to recall important parts of a cell.
Overall, both students and teachers know a lot about each other and the modern, and not modern, world. Students had 17 points and the teachers had 17 points across all three categories. Both teams performed very well, making the trivia competition a tie!
Although the competition ended in a tie, the trivia challenge showed that both students and teachers bring their knowledge and experience to the classroom!
