We watched “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” on TV the other night. Judging by the contestants, it would appear that anyone smarter than a fifth grader will never be allowed on the show.

The show consists of the moderator, Jeff Foxworthy, five fifth graders and the contestant. The contest is given a selection of topics with questions ranging from the first grade level to the fifth. And, each time that the contestant answers the question correctly, the prize money increases. And for a few questions, the contestant has access to the fifth graders for the answer.

The first contestant was a surfing instructor at UCLA. He was thirty something and well, a surfing instructor. When asked “How many states are not adjoined by another state?” he had to take the full time allotment and then hesitated with his answer. Needless to say, he didn’t even make it to the fifth grade questions.

The next contestant was a thirty something blond whose claim to fame was that her mother was a school teacher. Needless to say, she made the surfing instructor look brilliant.

While the show may be humorous, it also reflects the failure of our education system during the 80’s and 90’s. Fortunately, the fifth graders show that their may be hope yet for the future.