Questions Worth Asking (Maybe): Perfect transcript, Perfect Jeopardy player, Imperfect corporate retreat, Perfect novelist

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Ralph Hanson
  • Why should every student should get their first “B” as soon as possible? (Atlantic gift Link)
    As a long-time college professor, one of my biggest frustrations was having students who were desperate to maintain their perfect 4.0 GPA. I had one of my best students ever avoid taking a statistics class because they were afraid they might get a B in it. Years later, once they were a prominent college professor, they admitted that had been a big mistake. The Atlantic just ran a recent article discussing the grade inflation crisis at Harvard University where students feel entitled to a perfect GPA when they are spending so much money on their education.One of the biggest problems I see looking back at higher ed these days is that too many people think education is about building a perfect resume or getting the best paying job rather than being about becoming a well-rounded, educated person. Building resumes and setting up great careers are both important. But so is getting a good education.
  • Why does everyone love Jeopardy champ Jamie Ding? (NY Times gift Link)
    Dear Wife and I are die-hard daily Jeopardy fans, and we love seeing someone go on an extended run on the show. But it is easy to start getting annoyed with a player whose streak has gone on too long.Except when that player is the unfailing nice Jamie Ding.

    Ding described himself as a “faceless bureaucrat and law student” in his nightly introduction, but the realty that he downplayed was that his day job is providing affordable housing to people in New Jersey. He charmingly always dressed with an orange item of clothing, he unfailingly applauded good plays by his opponents, and he never seemed to have an ego problem. At a time where we seem to be celebrating performative cruelty in our country, Jamie Ding was an incredible breath of fresh air.

  • Why don’t you want to model your corporate retreat on a reality show competition? (WSJ gift link)
    When our second son was nearing delivery, I told my Dear Wife that she should plan on giving birth on a specific day so I could miss a day-long departmental retreat. When the day arrived, she woke up at 5 a.m. and told me I would not have to go to the event.Now, the retreat I was trying to avoid was just a day of endless meetings on campus, but sometimes work retreats can go horribly wrong. And sometimes those horrid outcomes could have been easily predicted.

    In 2017, the tech company Plex planned a $500,000 retreat at a beach-front hotel  in Honduras with a Survivor reality show theme. What could possibly go wrong?  Well, hiring an ex-Navy SEAL to run physical challenges for out-of-shape tech employees might have been the first mistake. Hiring a hotel to host that was going through management changes and had no idea how to serve a big group event was likely the second.

    The Wall Street Journal link tells a horror story of alligators, fire ants, and food poisoning.  But at least some of the participants report nearly ten years later that the retreat was a great bonding experience and “one of the most fun trips ever.” Sure… I’m just glad I avoided my retreat and got a great kid instead.

  • And finally – Why do I love Florida writer Carl Hiaasen? (The Atlantic gift link)
    If you have never read Carl Hiaasen, start with Skinny Dip and then move on to Basket Case. Or just pick up whichever title you find at your public library. You can thank me later.
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