A high school teacher is giving a pop quiz to her class. She walks around the room, observing the students. She notices one student, Johnny, seems to be struggling, constantly looking up at the ceiling, then down at his paper, then back up again.
The teacher walks over to his desk. “Johnny,” she whispers, “is everything alright? You seem to be having some trouble.”
Johnny sighs dramatically. “Yes, Miss. I’m really stuck on this last question.”
The teacher looks at the question: “Explain the causes and effects of the French Revolution.”
“Hmm,” she says, “that’s a big one. What’s the problem?”
Johnny points to the ceiling. “Well, I was trying to think, and I heard my dad say that all the answers are usually right above your head.”
The teacher blinks, then looks at the ceiling. There’s nothing there but a light fixture. “Johnny,” she says patiently, “your dad probably meant that in a metaphorical sense. The answers are in your brain, from what you’ve studied.”
Johnny shakes his head. “No, Miss. He said ‘right above your head.’ So I’ve been looking up, but all I see is the ceiling. I guess the French Revolution didn’t happen in this classroom.”