When my son was in middle school, the test was set up a little differently. The gym teacher told the kids they had 20 minutes to run a mile, and that they would be graded by how much they improved by the end of the years.

Do you know where this is going?

My son did his leisurely jog and as he approached the end, looked at the big timer showing how much time was left to complete the run.

He stopped right before the finish line and waited for the timer to display 19:58 before breaking the tape.

I wish I could have seen the expression on the teacher’s face, because as my son passed him, he said “you’re the smartest one here.”