A fourth-grade teacher was giving her students a lesson in logic. She stood at the front of the class and said, “Here’s the situation. A man is standing in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and starts splashing and yelling for help. His wife hears the noise, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?”

The room went quiet. Hands slowly went up.

One student said, “To call for help.”

Another guessed, “To throw him a rope.”

A third added, “To jump in and save him.”

The teacher smiled and shook her head at each answer. “Good thinking,” she said, “but not quite.”

Finally, one boy in the back raised his hand confidently.

“Because,” he said, “that’s where the money is.”

The teacher paused.

Then the entire class burst out laughing.