The 72-Hour English Class

In an effort to break a world-record, China Daily has the story of an English class that just went on and on and on: (emphasis added)

The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop until the teacher shifted his weight and attempted to utter a sentence. The student shot him a reflexive glance before slumping back into his seat as if calmed by a lullaby, otherwise known as his instructor's voice.

As time wore on, the brightly lit classroom was host to a sea of sleepy heads, sluggishness setting into every pore of the students as the minutes ticked by.

BAM! Earth to Joe!

It was finally over! A shadow of a smile flickered over his face, the first genuine expression he had in hours.

The belaboured student groaned to the camera: "I'm worn out, I think the class might have harmed my health."

Moments later, he trudged off.

This was the scene at a rare 72-hour vigil between September 9 and 12 in Shanghai. Apart from eliciting a good round of yawns and arm-stretchings, this was no ordinary vigil. It was a marathon English course, sleep free.

The stunt was put together in a bid to sew up a Guinness World Record for the longest non-stop English course.

Ultimately, the Daily's reporter didn't like the whole enterprise, referring to it as a "lame show" and a "blatant thirst to stir a major media buzz."

The effort did indeed pay off. They got their world record, and the accompanying "media buzz."

I wonder if there is a Guiness Category that recognizes the student who spends the most hours sleeping in class during the course of a school year?
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