It’s hard to think about speaking up in class, especially for those with classes at 8:30 in the morning. But, there are always those moments, whether forced by the professor or stemming from some sort of need for cathartic expression, when one just can’t help but speak up in class.
These situations need to be handled very carefully, as mistakes can be fatally embarrassing as well as frustrating to others in the class. To avoid any sort of catastrophes, there are a few standards that one should adhere to when speaking aloud in the Lecture Hall.
Nobody ever seems too tired to complain. Various interjections are seldom absent when tests are returned or homework is assigned. Here’s a list of things that complaining accomplishes: nothing, disrupts the class, nothing, annoys the professor and, of course, absolutely nothing.
There are a number of mediums and occasions where you can spill your grievances onto an undeserving professor. E-mail is private, as well as quiet. Office hours are prime time for your one-on-one needs. And, if you really can’t wait, most professors are available for a short period of time right after class.
Though, in order to save your own breath (or finger strength if you’re e-mailing) as well as your professor’s time, you should think about the merit of your complaints. Most confusion will be cleared if you simply let the lecture take its course. It also helps to take a mental step back and remember where you are. A self-indulgent attitude and a belief that you always deserve a higher grade than you’re given are not conducive to learning.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t times when a student may have valid questions. Though it should be made very clear that, no matter what you were told in elementary school, there are such things as stupid questions.
Surprisingly, paying attention can be quite vital to not making a fool of yourself in class. Not only will you be able to parry the professor’s questions with quick and accurate retorts, but you will also prevent the dreaded situation of asking a question which forces the professor to repeat what was just said.
There’s always that one person in the class that can’t help it, and I believe it’s the only thing that could force a whole lecture hall to let out a unanimous suspiration. But what has to be the worst of all, something that can stun professors into an awkward silence and terrorize other students in their dreams, is when people use the classroom as their own personal forum.
Verbal diarrhea can strike anywhere, but never does it penetrate human minds as bad as it does in the classroom. There seems to always be one person in every class that has it, but luckily it’s not very contagious.
Those affected will casually raise their hand — a hand that will eventually strike fear into the hearts of every student who knows them — and they will attempt to “cleverly” tie an anecdote or fleeting thought into the lecture as though they’ve had some sort of seminal idea.
No, that book you read has nothing to do with the lecture. And no, your infantile pseudo-philosophy doesn’t make any sense. And, as happy as it may have been, I don’t really care that you took your daughter to the zoo over the weekend. None of these things drives the lecture forward. In fact, they bring it to an awkward and embarrassing standstill.
But, excuse my ranting. Most of this advice can be summarized with a few simple idioms: Pay attention, think before you speak and you’re never as important as you think you are.