Students raise thumbs instead of hands

Some parents are criticizing a British school for replacing hand raising to answer questions with thumb raising. The Burlington Junior School in Bridlington, England, which previously attempted to replace hand raising with the raising of colored signs, recently announced students are being encouraged to put up their thumbs instead of raising their hands to get the teacher's attention, The Sun reported Tuesday. Headteacher Cheryle Adams described the policy as not a "big deal" and "something all the children have accepted." "These ideas help make the class environment calmer and encourages quieter pupils to share ideas," Adams said. However, Dave Campleman, 44, who has two children at the school, said he does not agree. "I thought it was a joke at first," he said. "It's daft. Kids are used to putting their hands up -- being told to do something different just confuses them."