At 3:30 this afternoon 10 South River High School teachers and their principal will shed their coats and sweaters, wriggle into their bathing suits and plunge into the chilly waters of the South River. Brrrr. It's 45 degrees out today! But the educators from Edgewater say they had a good reason for this stunt. They promised their students they would do this "polar plunge" if they donated at least 1,000 pounds of food for charity. They raised more than 50,000.

The canned and dry goods all benefited the Anne Arundel County Food Bank to feed the homeless and hungry over the holidays. The donations were made through the Kids Helping Kids program, a statewide three-week food collection campaign.

I've noticed a lot more of these kinds of stunts lately -- educators accepting all kinds of dares to motivate students to succeed in one way or another. When I covered education in Memphis, the principal of a low-performing elementary school promised to kiss a pig if her students passed the reading portion of the state test. Pass, they did and wouldn't you know it -- by day's end she was puckering up to a snout. The children dissolved into a fit of giggles, and so did her staff.

Is this a byproduct of reality shows like "Fear Factor" or part of desperation some educators feel in a high-stakes world? What kinds of stunts have educators in your child's schools done? Do share your stories. I'd love to hear them.