An Anecdote

Question: What does it mean?

The Anecdote: One day a colleague who taught history in a freshman program designed for college students who were also taking a developmental reading course came to me and said: ‘All of the students in my Social Science Freshman Workshop signed a petition stating that I was prejudiced against Italians because during the lesson I said that Greeks were taking over the pizzerias in New York City. Apparently, one of the students had written the statement on top of a blank sheet of paper and had circulated it during the lesson without my knowing it. After everyone had signed the sheet, someone passed it to me. I read it and asked the students why they had decided to sign the petition. Many of them said, ‘Petition? What petition?’ I held up the signed sheet and read it. Those who had expressed the most surprise at the word petition revealed that they signed it because they thought it was the attendance sheet!’ “

Comment: Well, what does it mean? RayS.

Title: “Increasing Student Awareness of the Importance of Reading.” RK Ortiz. Journal of Reading (February 1991), 401-402.