If I asked a question in class that called for students to take information and formulate an answer, I never called on the kid whose hand flew up the moment I finished the question.
Without taking the time to arrive at the answer, the students whose hands flew up were obviously going to guess and hope they had the right answer, and further hope that, if the answer happened to be the right one, everyone in class would be impressed.
The kids with the shooting hands were usually the ones who felt they were special and precious, had no idea of the number of times they were wrong, and generally believed that their answer had been correct but the teacher just did not want to acknowledge that.
The results from calling on the shooting hand kids was that they would imprint the wrong answer in their minds, the other students would stop thinking, and important class time got wasted.
What would have been preferable, unless the answer was to a question that called for just spitting back a fact learned through rote memory, would be for all students to take the time to analyze the relevant information, formulate an answer, and, when they had one that could be supported by previously learned information, offer it.
Fox and Friends, and I do not mean the news channel show but the channel and the people in congress they promote and support, would probably rarely, if ever, get called on in my class.
No matter what the event is, from a hostage taking, to a sudden surge in border crossings, or a chance for war, they take offense if President Obama takes the time to properly analyze both those facts the public knows and those we don’t before deciding on a follow up action.
They are like those who, upon someone falling down a flight of stairs, immediately ask, “Are you all right?” as if the person needs no time to assess themselves for any hurt or damage.
Those who have been lusting for a new war as the others are waning, want an immediate answer and response, hopefully in favor of a war.
It’s not like the facts, if properly considered, would logically lead to war; It’s like the decision for a war was already made and we just needed an excuse to go ahead.
But what harm can there possibly be in jumping into an action without full and proper evaluation?
Take time to analyze facts, and then offer an answer.