High schoolers love pranks, and anyone who teaches them should know this, and always be on their guard.

In this story, a group of students figure out how to follow their teacher’s rules… with some change to spare.

What’s the deal?

Let’s see.

Green Money

One day around 1990, I was teaching a HS chemistry class when the students unexpectedly started clapping after a demonstration.

Without stopping to think (a bad habit of mine) I said, “Next time don’t just applaud, throw money.”

Careful what you wish for, Teach.

Then, realizing I was talking to high schoolers, I added, “The green kind.”

The next day, at some point in my lecture some of the students started clapping while others started tossing coins.

For a couple of seconds nickels, dimes, and quarters bounced off my demonstration desk and the blackboard behind me.

He had ONE rule…

Looking down at the change laying on the desk, floor, and chalk tray, I saw that every coin was GREEN.

Someone had used a green ‘magic marker’ on each coin.

…and they followed it. Clever kids.

It turns out that someone was my son, who was one of the students in that class.

And the coins lying all around me?

They came from the can of spare change at my own house.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the money tree.

LOL, I was kind of proud of that kid!

Eventually…

I’d still take the money.

What do our comments say?

One user says, the methodology is flawed.

Someone else is astounded a HS teacher earned applause.

Another person says, the more you know…

This commenter says teenagers are worse than lawyers!

Finally, someone calls nepo baby on the whole situation.

Hey Teacher, can you spare some change?

Turns out he could.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.