An eleven
plus teacher saw five of his students walking into their lesson holding books,
files and papers. When they arrived the teacher asked his students, “Why are
you doing the eleven plus?”
The first
student replied, “I am doing the eleven plus because my parents want me to go
to a good school.”
The teacher
praised the first student and said, “You are a clever boy! Making your parents
happy is a good thing.”
The second
student replied, “I love to do mathematics problems, and I really enjoy non-verbal
reasoning.”
The teacher
said, “You are a good student. You will go on to do well academically.”
The third
student remarked, “When I do eleven plus questions I enjoy the peace and quiet
in the house at home.”
The teacher
said, “The quiet and gentle side of your life will make you a wonderful person
in years to come.”
The fourth
student replied, “When I am doing eleven plus questions I feel competitive and
hungry to do well.”
The teacher
said, “You have learnt to adjust to the pace of the world. Go well my student.”
The fifth
student said, “I do the eleven plus to do the eleven plus.”
The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said, “I am your student.”’
