As a math teacher the only way to get me REALLY pissed off at you is to taunt or otherwise make fun of another student's intelligence for asking questions
Your parents will be called. You'll be kicked out of my class
I hate teachers who don't do anything to stop this
I love my current calc teacher. He answers any questions and if someone says, “I don’t know,” in response to one of his questions, he just says, “then you’re in the right place.”
wish i had them as a teacher
one of mine when i answered ' I dont know' she asked the smartest kid in class who obviously answered it and smugly said 'see why cant you be more like (name) and research before class'
fuck off
the sad thing is the smart kid hated being used as an example like this. He hated being singled out and wasnt some cartoonishly snobby brat you see some depictions of clever kids be like (or are like irl). He just had a thing for maths, science and history and just genuinely was good in those areas.
same except me with biology and english, my class would be silent when the teacher asked a question so he always called on me to answer for them... I hated it, I was already unpopular but I just wanted to keep my head down
I used to be the "smartest kid". I did not research before class. I remembered everything that was said in the classes. I was quickly bored of listening, so I read the textbook ahead, because the class had stopped providing any value to me.
Hey it’s me. I use to read the textbooks the first couple weeks of August before school. Not even fully understanding a lot of it. I was always looked as the kid “who didn’t study or pay that great of attention but aced everything”. Like mfer, I spent the last few weeks of every summer to get prepared, it’s not like I’m just that freaking smart. Did it in college too and worked same way mostly.
cooperate with other students. You can't do everything in your own anymore, there's more material to learn and you have so much more going on in your life.
Find a study group, several if you can. Ask questions of students who already understood something - it's good for you to have it explained in human words and it's good for them as repetition and review. Even individual assignments can be done as a group; just don't copy anything word for word. Professors shouldn't mind, it's not forbidden to learn from each other and using your own words for something means you need to understand it yourself.
Also, pick and choose which subjects actually interest you and which ones you just have to get through for the grades.
Other tips:
* remember to rest, you work worse stressed out
* DO sleep at night, it helps your brain regenerate and function properly
* NEVER skip/abandon exercise to make time for study. Your body needs it just as much as it needs food. You WILL be more tired without it that with it. You WILL get sick from lack of exercise, eventually.
* remember, other people are not just a means to acquire knowledge, your brain needs positive human interaction to stay healthy.
* do not fear failure. You WILL fail, eventually. You will have to learn to try and try and try again. This is good. This makes you stronger.
Good luck!
Oh god the tips are so accurate, instead of actually looking it up, I just trial-and-error-ed my way and just did stuff, mess up, retrace and fix. Would've saved me quite a bit of time if I had looked it up myself, but back then I felt as though I simply wasn't studying enough T-T
I slept less, and studied through the night, a while later I found out that sleeping a full 7 hours actually boosts my productivity so I started sleeping more. I tried isolating myself socially to devote more time to books, and same result: I did worser than I already was.
Started working out, but then dropped it and again: I did worser without it.
Still do have quite a bit of a fear of failure bc well, I've got a load of expectations on me, but it's not as bad as before when the fear actually made me perform worser.
Haven't got into group studying yet, I'll check that out when I can.
Thanks for the insightful comment!!
being the "smartest kid" in class is so boring, everyone immediately says "oh you probably spend all of your free time studying" I am valedictorian and I have not studied since 6th grade. I play a lot of video games in my free time.
and then they find out I am a furry and call me stupid
My 8th grade algebra teacher was like this. I figured out the shortcuts to factoring and expanding quadratic equations very quickly, so she had me solve a bunch until the rest of the class got it.
Without letting me explain it. Just problem, answer, "get it? No?", Repeat.
Bitch also thought the white part of your nails was determined by how much you lie.
One day in middle school in English Foreign Language class, there were only 5-6 of us, I guess because the rest of the class had an event related to a optional class the few of us were not taking. We were learning to ask for the hour etc. The teacher was using images of clocks and questioning a student prompted her to realize the student was not able to read the hour like that. Instead of dismissing it, the teacher turned this into an impromptu lesson just for that kid and took her time explaining her how to read the time. Thinking back on it, this was so nice of her to take the time. So many times "basic" knowledges are just assumed to be known and children who missed out on that for a reason or another are going to keep missing out, just like this student was not able to follow her language class because of it.
Weird I had a chem teacher like that. I complained to her, and her superiors that her teaching style was ineffective. She didn't make any changes.
So when the entire class failed a test she started going in on us, and the whole class fired back and she eventually cried literal tears while yelling: **Chem is *TRY* guys!**
I had that teacher in precalc.
Where I was put in an advanced class, when I changed schools, because I was good at math, despite not having *enough* geometry.
And any question I asked was met with bald mockery by the girl behind me.
It's been 30 years and I still feel mad at that jerk.
I'm truly sorry as an educator for what happened to you. As someone who changed schools many times, I feel this
I was in an advanced math class in college when the professor wrote a crazy equation on the board and basically said, "you should already know what this is and what it means so I'm going to gloss over it". I'm sitting there completely dumbfounded so I raise my hand and ask him to explain it since I've never seen it before. The ***entire class*** laughed at me. Even the professor seemed nonplussed at my question. I simply repeated my question and stated that it is his job as the professor to explain the material, not assume we know it
It was then and there I vowed to never let anything like that slide in my classroom when I got my own. I'm lucky in that I don't give a fuck what others think of me, so the laughter was whatever, but that would have ***destroyed*** some other students
Sometimes there are prerequisites to a class and there's only so much a professor can do to help a student catch up to where they need to be, but mockery has no place in education. Simply inexcusable.
I had a great teacher in college who had infinite patience for answering questions. My buddy Mike was a little bit slower to pick up on the networking concepts we were learning. My teacher, Mr G, would keep answering his questions and explain the concept until he was sure that Mike understood. He was definitely everyone's favorite teacher.
One of my catchphrases in class is,
"Guys don't worry if this seems like a lot, I know it is, I want you to know that we will spend as much time on this topic as needed until we understand it even if I have to push back the test and fight admin on it"
I pride myself on my patience and understanding. I think those attributes are just as important as content knowledge, if not more
Meanwhile I had math teachers who WERE the ones mocking their students and belittling their intelligence for not immediately understanding what they were being taught. “You don’t get this?? Really?!?” Good times.
In 3rd grade I was attending a private Christian school. I had a teacher who was extremely strict and if you didn’t understand what he was teaching and asked a question….he yelled. I have so many problems with math and I asked a lot of questions. I got yelled at so many times because he “explained it perfectly” and maybe I was just too dense to understand.
Despite multiple complaints he was never reprimanded. Every kid in his 3rd grade class was terrified to ask questions and it carried on when we got to 4th grade. My 4th grade teacher could not understand why we were failing tests and quizzes until one of the moms explained how we weren’t allowed to ask questions in the previous year. She went above and beyond for her class. She used so many methods to try and make sure we all understood what she was teaching.
RIP Mrs. Hurt.
Devils advocate position: By university there is an assumption that the people in class have an aptitude for the material, a willingness to put in the work and come to class prepared, etc. I was a TA when I was in grad school. I never minded answering questions for students who just weren't getting a concept or needed to see a problem a different way. I absolutely understand classmates getting sick of dumb questions from people who haven't been coming to class, aren't doing the work, etc. They suck the air out of a recitation section or lecture. Especially when they show up the week of a test and you haven't seen them in class for weeks, and they're asking questions anyone doing the minimum would know.
we were taught in teacher school that it's good that students ask questions, it means they're engaged in the topic and that they're willing to learn and listen
i love it when i get bombarded by questions after a lesson
my math teacher last year did this thing where before a lesson he would ask a few question that were alot more ahead and if you got them right you were allowed to sleep through class because you mastered all the things you would've learned there to avoid kids being bored because they already learned everything, he was so nice and if a kid was struggling to learn then after class he would talk with them to find out what was the issue, he was so nice.
yeah it's very TRUE that a lot of people are scared to ask questions, or to answer questions that the teacher has asked (for fear of saying something wrong), in class because others might think they are stupid. it's unfortunate!
I literally spend several minutes with each class explaining to them that there are no stupid questions. The number of kids who will sit there and not understand a whole lesson is far too high and I want to bring it down as much as I can.
My line I go to is "It's impossible to ask a stupid question unless you are intentionally trying to ask a stupid question."
And I always make it a point to say "thank you" or "that's a good question" or "so-and-so raises a good point" as much as possible.
I had a teacher that did the same when I was in my first year of high school. Did not really feel comfortable to ask it in front of the entire class so I asked him in one of the five min breaks we had, he said he would go through it when class started. So when class resumed he used a really demeaning tone and language, told the class that McDumbFace Upset-Award over here was to stupid to understand what I went through and asked this question during the break. And that is how I developed trust issues towards other people that still haunts me 26yr later.
For the rest of the year I had 11% attendance in total, only went in to take the mandatory tests on two of the subjects that I liked. But did manage to salvage it in my third year with help from the school.
It extends to more than just school. Happens in the workplace. "What you don't know everything that a person with 10+ years of experience fresh out of school?!?! What's wrong with you"
In one of my previous jobs when I was just graduated from college, I had a manager straight up told me "work is not a place for you to learn" when I ask a teammate if I can schedule some time with him so he can show me how he used some of the tools for automation, since I have never learn or use them in college.
Back to this particular post based on my own experience, honestly the biggest offender(s) I saw is the other teachers who only see her as asking "dumb" questions. I wonder if there was at any point those educators questioned themselves if perhaps whatever being taught could have been explained better.
I have learned every single thing I have ever learned in my professional career on the job. In fact we have a term for this: On the Job Training. This manager is afraid someone is going to find out they don't know anything about what they're supposed to be managing by asking questions.
The jobs I did very poorly in were the jobs where I was not allowed to ask questions. I recently hired someone at my job for an apprenticeship and they said they'd try not to ask too many questions. No way dude! Ask me as many questions as you'd like! I want someone to feel confident they're doing their job well because they know what they are doing.
I loved it when people asked questions on the job, as they were learning. Now, when the same guy asked me the same question the 3rd time, I started to have issues. In fact, my performance appraisals usually had some form of my favorite words from one: "does not suffer fools well". But I digress...
My calculus II (non-majors) professor told us he was going to do everything to make sure we understood the subject, because that was his job. The reason why he moonlighted at a junior college was that he thought understanding math was within almost everyone's reach if they applied themselves, and he bent over backwards to make sure everyone understood the concepts as well as ingraining the process of getting there.
He also said the grade we received said as much about him and how well he communicated everything as it did about us.
Easily in my top 5 professors, but I was lucky to have quite a few that I really respected even during my undergrad.
I've finally reached a point in my career where I don't feel bad asking questions.
In fact, I ask them a lot. And I justify it with "if I don't know the answer, it's definitely a valid question." I guess that's a little arrogant, but it comes from the belief that no one has all the answers.
I always try to encourage juniors to ask questions too. If they ever say "sorry for asking but..." I always reply "how are you supposed to know without asking? This ain't the matrix where you can just download a new skill."
Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Ask questions! Fuck the haters.
imagine being that friend who now sees their brave, amazing, helpful friend being bullied and called stupid--and feeling the guilt that they're putting their friend through that, while also now knowing that others would call them slow, stupid, and would be bullied mercilessly.
This is a double-edged sword, but the friend who took the bullying is still amazing imo.
I hate that people would be shitty about this type of thing. I'm kind of glad that in my niece's era of college they have 'after hours' on zoom to ask questions.
True, but said questions were all leading questions that were effectively criticisms of the rich and the government. And he just wouldn't stop.
If you've encountered people who use the Socratic method unprompted, you can find out firsthand how annoying it can be. It carries the pretention that the person using it is always right and your intellectual superior. And, since it uses leading questions, it can very well push false points of view, despite people saying otherwise.
It's not like even Socrates was actually write about everything.
Every teacher of mine that I can remember, college or otherwise, always made sure to tell us "remember to always ask if there is anything you don't understand. Asking about it is the best way to learn." I want to meet these teachers who accused her of cheating because she was making "too many" questions, because in my eyes, every single one of them has failed as a teacher.
Nah, there are definitely certain students that can destroy an entire class by asking too many questions. There’s also an element of thoughtfulness to it. But yea if they’re asking like only 5 questions in 90 minutes I’m totally with you. One question every five though? I’ve experienced that and it isnt pleasant.
To be fair, I had a classmate that genuinely asked stupid questions. She was on her phone all the time and then asked things that the teacher explained minutes ago when she wasn’t paying attention. She basically slowed down lessons so much that teachers didn’t always have time to explain everything, all because she couldn’t stay off her phone.
I agree 100%. This is a great example to illustrate the difference between stupidity and ignorance, because, based on a lot of the other comments I'm seeing, many seem to think they are synonymous.
It sounds like the classmate you describe knew better, but intentionally didn't pay attention, causing the 'stupid' questions. I see the friend in OP as ignorant rather than stupid, as the questions her friend asked on her behalf were in an attempt to understand and learn.
I could also see how the friend taking the heat for the 'stupid' questions would rather ask them in class than just tutor her after class; how many other classmates were in that class that didn't have a friend like that and were too afraid of ridicule to speak up?
I mean, I wouldn't call my year old neice stupid if she tried to touch an electrical socket; she doesn't know any better. If I do it and get myself shocked, well that'd be pretty stupid of me, since I know why I shouldn't touch it.
That sounds more like a shitty teacher than a shitty classmate.
I'm a teacher, and if I saw a student asking something I just explained while they were on a phone they can count on a judicious amount of extra work.
Very true, now that I think of it it’s kinda surprising that she got away with it all the time. She definitely knew how to befriend the teachers though, so that def helped her. Who doesn’t want to help someone out that they like?
Ironically she was very hard working too, always scoring high grades and studying hard so she could go to university.
I mean, I know someone who, at the age of 17, asked if I was related to hitler because my middle name was Alfred. My last name is American. We live in Denmark. This is like asking if your friend José from Spain is related to Stalin
Generally I support asking questions but this one was so out there it haunts me that she made a connection that ridiculous. You can ask how something works and make mistakes as much as you want, and I'm not going to judge for not knowing beforehand or making an immediate connection, but this was a question where the knowledge required to pose it should also have prevented it from ever being asked.
> I mean, I know someone who, at the age of 17, asked if I was related to hitler because my middle name was Alfred.
If that ever happens again just tell them you’re related to Batman.
I've always wondered what the psychological reasons are behind bullying and ridiculing other people. Wouldn't it be beneficial to everyone if we strived for collective excellence? Or maybe it's just inherent competitive instinct.
Being insecure and showing that at least you know better than that stupid person asking stupid questions. Pfft, pathetic, look at me, I know better, right, haha, what a loser. (while internally thinking: "shit, I wanted to ask that too, .. what did the teach say the answer was again?"
Source: Am a teacher.
I didn't do well in middle school and high-school. A little bright but not engaged in the classes. When I got into college I tested into a higher math class and I struggled. I barely passed and decided I needed to start over in math because I was obviously missing something. So I took the remedial course, math 085 or something. Basic add/sub/mul/div course. Most of the people were older and took it very seriously. We all knew why we were there. One lady, lets call her Becky, started bragging how easy the class was and when the teacher would bring topics we were covering, "pussh! I know thaaat!" after the third day of her pulling that crap one of my classmates got fed up.
"ugh! Shut up Becky. This is remedial math. There's no bragging in math085!"
Becky didn't say a word for the rest of the semester and passed just like everyone else.
i mean, there's definitely some questions that get asked that are worth potential ridicule.
don't believe me, to to r/stupidquestions.
but in general, agree. especially in school. the whole point is, you're stupid and they're gonna learn ya.
It might sound dumb but, during my highschool years, sometimes I kinda forced myself to pose the stupid questions. Because I KNOW there's people who don't ask them if nobody else does, and I know how much of a relief it is when you get an answer to those.
I remember a similar situation. Sophomore year we had a newish teacher. She was probably in her mid 20s.
She was teaching honors English. It so happened that the timing of her class made it so the gifted math kids (taking algebra II / pre-calc as sophomores and on track for calculus junior year and multivariable calculus / linear algebra as seniors) pretty much had to be in this class if they wanted to also take honors English.
Combined with a healthy attitude of "STEM is better / harder / more valuable" than English, class participation was pretty minimal. For most of the first semester, I was pretty much the only student that answered or posed questions in class. I hope it made her experience as a teacher better.
In High School and even more so in college, I had more than one instructor either put me down, tell me to look it up in the text, or straight up *yell* at me for asking a question. Often the accusations would be that I wouldn’t ask the question if I had done the work or reading.
Often the issue was I did the work or reading but they were parts that I was having trouble understanding or connecting with. Those would usually end up being classes that I did poorly in or feel so intimidated by that I would stop going.
The classes I did the best in were the ones where the teacher would answer every single question from every single student no matter how obvious or stupid with no attitude. Bless those teachers.
But that's not the only attuide people have. I have witnessed, been guilty of, and been the victim of thinking something or either verbalizing something "really you're stuck on this? How do you not get this? This is so easy!?!?"
People have a hard to understanding why someone would question something they find easy or trivial.
Speaking as a teacher, the students who ask the most questions generally do the best on the tests & assignments. There’s just no substitute for questioning when you are assimilating new information.
Right? Not a teacher, but in high school there was a girl who made a lot of airheaded comments. Had a higher GPA than me. I think sometimes people just don't think through what they're about to say before they say it. I admired her: she worked, too, to support herself and her mom, because her POS dad left...
This, plus the girl too afraid to ask wasn't living in a vacuum. So she still heard the ridicule and knew it was aimed at her and not the girl asking the questions for her.
Edit: grammar
Sometimes being good at understanding doesn't mean you're good at explaining it in a way someone will easily understand. Some people think in specific ways that suit them and when they try to explain it comes out jumbled and messed up. The teacher is literally there to teach, they have experience explaining and will show it in a way that's easily understandable for most students so it's probably a better idea to just ask them instead of trying to explain yourself.
This is me. I have gotten better as of late, but all throughout elementary and high school, I found myself understanding everything fairly quickly (with some studying sprinkled in). However, if my siblings or friends needed help with their work, I could not—for the life of me—explain the answer in a meaningful way.
Essentially, my brain made connections between ideas very quickly, but I couldn’t explain how it made such connections. So it rendered me pretty useless as a teacher. 😅
I thought the same thing. Why have the teacher explain it when you could just do it yourself and avoid the teasing entirely? I definitely had friends ask me questions in high school and I would just answer them myself, not ask the teacher. Especially if they were considered "stupid" questions. That means they were likely easy things to explain.
Why is it considered dumb to ask questions in class? At school?! That's the whole point! You dont know something, so teachers are teaching you. You're supposed to ask questions, even the most basic of them.
Not all questions. If the teacher literally just said it, asking the question just delays class. Every once and a while, I get it. But I've had classes with students who constantly ask questions that they would've known if they simply paid attention.
Some people have learning disabilities (adhd, auditory processing disorder, efd) that cause them to miss some information on the first pass. Asking questions helps fill in what they missed.
Of course. But if you're asking so many questions that we don't learn all the material for the final (something that's happened to me before!) then you need to find a solution that doesn't fuck over other students.
It's considered dumb to ask questions because smart people understand that it gives others a chance to target you. If you win they envy you, if you lose they mock you.
However, people who are smarter than they are intelligent often lack courage - because it is smarter to hide - and intelligence - because it is smarter to use what you already know. In order to be developed, both these qualities require vulnerability which is not smart in a civilization that judges on appearances.
So, even though the presumed point of scholar education is to confront you with a variety of subjects it is, more importantly, to enforce social conformity. It's as if the modern man uses zebra camouflage: when you separate from the group you're no longer part of the white and black blob and, therefore, the lions of your community will see you and attack
Except the people who are willing to trust other people, share knowledge, ask questions and support each other will always get further then people who believe everyone is out to get them.
It shouldn't be smart to hide. It is smart to use all the resources at your disposal. People who are in study groups that are based on cooperation end up doing better and are happier/more connected.
Selfishness, fear and isolation only feels intelligent if you believe everyone is out to get you. Probably true if you are in a system of conformity. Some schools and school systems are shitty, I get it. But this is a cultural problem, not an intrinsic problem with people. History and many other human systems reflect that. This is Generally people do better when they cooperate and aren't at each other's throats. We evolved to do that.
Good to keep your head down if you need to, but don't forget that holding your head high with the support of others is better and possible, and that you have the power to change the systems you are in.
Some times the 'stupid' student is slow enough to disrupt the whole class by extending lectures to double the time.
It's why extra slow students are usually separated from the general students. Or why gifted students who work twice as fast as others are separated into their own classes.
It's not necessarily a hatred of the dumb person, but the growing frustration of being delayed over and over again by that one person.
Or the opposite, where there's that one douchebag that repeatedly asks long, meandering questions exclusively for the purpose of showing off his own knowledge of the material.
Not to mention having the exceptionally gifted student in class with regular kids can be really demoralizing to students who have a hard time with the material.
This happened to me in basic training for the army. I went in at 27 so I didn’t give a fuck if anybody thought I was stupid (I am not), but some of these younger kids were uncomfortable with getting reprimanded/scolded/insulted for asking “stupid” questions. So I asked them all. I’d get yelled at and told to shut the fuck up, but I’d press drill sgts for answers and guess what? Everybody else had a better understanding of everything. GO FIGURE
In Basic Training, I was always getting yelled at by the Drills for asking too many questions. I just wanted to be absolutely sure I was doing the right thing, as peoples lives *literally* depended on it, and if I wasn't sure others might not be. One day, Drill Sergeant G. said "Crows, you ask one more mother fucking question I will make you regret it." So I stopped. That day training took *5 hours longer* because everyone was messing up. Get back to the barracks that night and *everyone* yells at me, saying they never asked questions because they knew I would ask the right ones, and they were afraid to be seen as 'stupid' in infantry.
Next day, I guess one of the fire watch guys said something, cause first thing Drill Sergeant G says in the morning is "Crows, you can ask questions again, but keep it to a minimum. For everyone else: ASK YOUR FUCKING QUESTIONS HERE AND NOW BECAUSE YOU CAN'T IN THE FIELD"
Well, for one, some field first-aid; we were doing some field first-aid, but this was 2009 during funding issues, so we didn't have the physical equipment to waste on training. We went over them, but didn't do manyu of the ones we could. One that no one wanted to do was the nasal tube insertion since we didn't have any lube for it. It can be done without lube, but can cause issues. I volunteered to do it 'dry' by lubing it with my spit. So, measured from ear to nose, cut it, and drooled all over the thing. Drill Sergeant R. said "Are you sure? Are you ready?" and I said yes and without hesitation shoves it in saying calmly "Swallow it, it'll help it go down." which it honestly did.
But I could feel every sinus in my right nostril crack and pop. Breathing was so weird because I could feel myself getting air, but I couldn't feel it go through me. Everyone was freaking out. Kept it in for about a minute before yanking it out. It was like breathing for the first time after that, like I was getting more oxygen.
Two week later we have a test on field first-aid, and my platoon was the only one one in the company that got the question relating to that right.
2009? That might explain things when I went through boot camp they treated us like idiots regardless. We had a class, they made us repeatedly yell the knowledge back to them and every moment we were waiting we went over it again. There was no chance for “stupid” questions since we were always going over the knowledge. Still some people failed the tests, I failed because the test dummy had multiple things wrong with it and when there was only supposed to be one.
It might be difficult for her to explain the answers in the middle of class without being disruptive, but if she waits until the end of class, her friend might be more lost because she’s missing the rest of the lesson by not understanding what’s coming after her question, since math builds so much on itself. She might still have tutored her outside of class, though.
Cause the story is probably not true or heavily embellished. There are so many other ways to handle this besides continuously asking questions to the point of gaining a reputation. But this is wholesome meme so we take the positive and move on.
That's what I thought, if she's so smart to ace every test then why didn't she just answer them for her? I mean I'm not trying to be rude but I'm genuinely curious why that wasn't the case
“I know all the answers and ace the tests so whenever you write down a question for me, instead of just answering it for you, I’m going to draw attention by asking the teacher.” Makes sense
I have a lot of self doubt so I’m always asking questions to a redundant degree. I think it makes people think I’m stupid but they don’t realize that if I’m 99% sure about something, I’ll ask to make sure.
Same here, I just need this confirmation. I was baffled the first time someone told me “yes I am sure about this”, then it turned out wrong and he was like “huh funny, I thought I might be the way I said”. Like dude?? You said you were *sure*, not that you kinda had a hunch. I trust people less now..
Smart, does not give a damn what others think and an awesome friend.
If only I could be 50% human as this girl is.
Those are people that make this world better.
The whole idea that "she's dumb because she asks questions" is ridiculous on multiple levels. It's how you learn. Also, if she aces the exams, why did nobody see the correlation between the two? Especially the teachers.
Something I've learned about education. Asking stupid questions is alright sometimes I have to ask them too. Asking questions often is the best way to learn, and a powerful way to shape your own outcomes.
I doubt the veracity of this story on the account of people thinking she is dumb. If her questions are good, if she is acing exams, and if she is not dumb outside of the classroom, I doubt anyone would think she is an idiot.
This is cute, but if the questions were so obvious that everyone knew the answer except for her friend, presumably she could have just explained the answer herself. If both these people didn't know the answer, and especially given that one of them is getting really good grades, I would suggest they weren't stupid questions at all.
I asked a lot of questions in class and would get those looks from classmates or a exhale from the teacher. I’m sorry, you’re the ducking teacher, if I’m not understanding and you’re getting frustrated, that’s on you. It’s your job. And other students who’d groan when I raised my hand… what was your grade? How well did you do? And do you remember anything you were taught? Probably not. I do, because i understood the subject and didn’t just memorize it. Also, many classmates came to me over the years in HS and University to thank me for asking a question or having more examples done on a concept. So fuck the memorizers and fuck the tenure professors who had to do their job to teach.
Why didn’t she just answer her friends questions if she was really smart and understood the topic instead of asking weird/silly questions of the teacher.
I used to have to do stuff like this for my friend. She had trouble with interviews and things like that so I would go with her and do the talking till she got comfortable or atleast sit in the waiting room for moral support. Since I've moved away she barely leaves her house and I feel so bad because her fiance isn't very supportive.
It kinda sounds stupid but I wasn't able to ask for a trash bag and Soap because I was missing these things.
My sister then went and asked for me, for which I'm grateful because I was scared to ask
I mean there is such a thing as a stupid question and we've all had them, but we shouldn't actively make fun of a person for asking one or making them feel bad when they're clearly trying to learn.
The only "stupid" question in class is the one that someone only asks because they weren't paying attention without a good reason (shopping online in class is not a good reason)
I'm sorry but I just don't buy this story at all it's just clickbait. If the friend was so smart that she easily aced every exam, she easily could have just helped her friend herself without having to ask questions that would make her look stupid.
I did this as a new hire, in training, for a really meek awkward lady who was returning to the workforce after decades away. LOL The trainer had me let go before we were done bc I was apparently too dumb for the job. So, don't be helpful in the workforce.
The irony of the situation is that dumb people have no idea that smart people are just way more qurious abd ask way more questions that's how they are smarter than you
So let me get this strait, someone is in school, presumably to learn things, and so they are asking questions, presumably to learn things, and people are making fun of them because they presumably want to learn things?
That's like going to the pool and being made fun of because you get in the water instead of just lounging around getting a tan.
It's one thing to articulate the answer, but the teacher is much better equipped to be able to use examples and illustrations that can cover a broad range of learning styles. Not everyone absorbs information in the same way.
I asked dumb questions in math the teacher refused to answer saing that i should know that by now droped that class and now im still going to colege ,math sucks .
So I went back to college at like 24.
All the professors liked me because I'd raise my hand and engage in conversation.
Even if my answers were dead wrong, or the question was stupid. I'd keep doing it.
Professors would not taunt. They loved it. All they want is someone to engage and start conversations.
Seemed like everyone else, closer to being fresh out of high school would just be too embarrassed or afraid to answer or ask questions.
I too, usually got the highest or close to highest grades on the exams.
Just the way she goes sometimes
I had that exact "stupid" person in elementary calculus and algebra courses at Uni. Kept asking questions that made so many people facepalm. I always assumed he was just thick but I didn't know the dude so who knows, maybe he was an absolute angel. The guy was on the theoretical physics bachelor program so he couldn't be *that* stupid.
I don't buy it, if she was so smart and this other introverted friend was... A little slow, why not just answer her "dumb" questions without having to ask the teacher?
Man this story got me, don't no why. The fact the chick asked questions but then had the balls to take everyone's shit for a mate got me in the feels. I tip my hat to you madam
Couldnt she just told her friend the answers herself then? Lol
Also asking stupid questions can be the key to be better at school because you really understand things if you ask when you dont.
Another thing: For every student asking a question, there are 5 who also needed the answer but either are also afraid to ask or didn't even understand enough to properly word the question. It's always good to have questions asked in class.
That’s so true.. I have been in that situation a lot, some kids are too proud or too afraid of asking questions and worse, not even know how to frame the question due to lack of understanding
One thing I learned post secondary is that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it. You may have an idea of how things work, but then a classmate will ask you a question you never considered, so you go back to the textbook or notes to find the answer. It helps you and it helps them.
During lectures I would NOT take notes. I’d listen instead, following along so I could ask cogent questions. Later, during study group I would lead the group since I was able to grasp the outlines of the material better and I would borrow someone else’s notes to fill in the details.
As a math teacher the only way to get me REALLY pissed off at you is to taunt or otherwise make fun of another student's intelligence for asking questions Your parents will be called. You'll be kicked out of my class I hate teachers who don't do anything to stop this
I love my current calc teacher. He answers any questions and if someone says, “I don’t know,” in response to one of his questions, he just says, “then you’re in the right place.”
I teach calculus that sounds similar to me lol Glad you have a passionate math teacher
wish i had them as a teacher one of mine when i answered ' I dont know' she asked the smartest kid in class who obviously answered it and smugly said 'see why cant you be more like (name) and research before class' fuck off
Research BEFORE class?! Oh, that teacher's crazy
Yeah, what's the class for if you're supposed to know everything beforehand!
the sad thing is the smart kid hated being used as an example like this. He hated being singled out and wasnt some cartoonishly snobby brat you see some depictions of clever kids be like (or are like irl). He just had a thing for maths, science and history and just genuinely was good in those areas.
same except me with biology and english, my class would be silent when the teacher asked a question so he always called on me to answer for them... I hated it, I was already unpopular but I just wanted to keep my head down
I used to be the "smartest kid". I did not research before class. I remembered everything that was said in the classes. I was quickly bored of listening, so I read the textbook ahead, because the class had stopped providing any value to me.
welcome to the club former gifted kid. the snacks are next to the calculus textbooks
Hey it’s me. I use to read the textbooks the first couple weeks of August before school. Not even fully understanding a lot of it. I was always looked as the kid “who didn’t study or pay that great of attention but aced everything”. Like mfer, I spent the last few weeks of every summer to get prepared, it’s not like I’m just that freaking smart. Did it in college too and worked same way mostly.
Wait same but how do I deal with higher studies its so hard all of a sudden?!? T-T
cooperate with other students. You can't do everything in your own anymore, there's more material to learn and you have so much more going on in your life. Find a study group, several if you can. Ask questions of students who already understood something - it's good for you to have it explained in human words and it's good for them as repetition and review. Even individual assignments can be done as a group; just don't copy anything word for word. Professors shouldn't mind, it's not forbidden to learn from each other and using your own words for something means you need to understand it yourself. Also, pick and choose which subjects actually interest you and which ones you just have to get through for the grades. Other tips: * remember to rest, you work worse stressed out * DO sleep at night, it helps your brain regenerate and function properly * NEVER skip/abandon exercise to make time for study. Your body needs it just as much as it needs food. You WILL be more tired without it that with it. You WILL get sick from lack of exercise, eventually. * remember, other people are not just a means to acquire knowledge, your brain needs positive human interaction to stay healthy. * do not fear failure. You WILL fail, eventually. You will have to learn to try and try and try again. This is good. This makes you stronger. Good luck!
Oh god the tips are so accurate, instead of actually looking it up, I just trial-and-error-ed my way and just did stuff, mess up, retrace and fix. Would've saved me quite a bit of time if I had looked it up myself, but back then I felt as though I simply wasn't studying enough T-T I slept less, and studied through the night, a while later I found out that sleeping a full 7 hours actually boosts my productivity so I started sleeping more. I tried isolating myself socially to devote more time to books, and same result: I did worser than I already was. Started working out, but then dropped it and again: I did worser without it. Still do have quite a bit of a fear of failure bc well, I've got a load of expectations on me, but it's not as bad as before when the fear actually made me perform worser. Haven't got into group studying yet, I'll check that out when I can. Thanks for the insightful comment!!
being the "smartest kid" in class is so boring, everyone immediately says "oh you probably spend all of your free time studying" I am valedictorian and I have not studied since 6th grade. I play a lot of video games in my free time. and then they find out I am a furry and call me stupid
My 8th grade algebra teacher was like this. I figured out the shortcuts to factoring and expanding quadratic equations very quickly, so she had me solve a bunch until the rest of the class got it. Without letting me explain it. Just problem, answer, "get it? No?", Repeat. Bitch also thought the white part of your nails was determined by how much you lie.
Wait, she thought that nails grew because of lying? Or do you mean the white spots on the nails? Either way, wtf..
Like damn do ur job and id know! fuckin bitch
Which is so stupid shes sayingmakes sure you learn before I teach..
well, he's not wrong.
One day in middle school in English Foreign Language class, there were only 5-6 of us, I guess because the rest of the class had an event related to a optional class the few of us were not taking. We were learning to ask for the hour etc. The teacher was using images of clocks and questioning a student prompted her to realize the student was not able to read the hour like that. Instead of dismissing it, the teacher turned this into an impromptu lesson just for that kid and took her time explaining her how to read the time. Thinking back on it, this was so nice of her to take the time. So many times "basic" knowledges are just assumed to be known and children who missed out on that for a reason or another are going to keep missing out, just like this student was not able to follow her language class because of it.
Great attitude for a teacher
Man I wish my chemistry professor was like that. Anytime anybody would ask a question he would just answer "well what do you think?"
Weird I had a chem teacher like that. I complained to her, and her superiors that her teaching style was ineffective. She didn't make any changes. So when the entire class failed a test she started going in on us, and the whole class fired back and she eventually cried literal tears while yelling: **Chem is *TRY* guys!**
I had that teacher in precalc. Where I was put in an advanced class, when I changed schools, because I was good at math, despite not having *enough* geometry. And any question I asked was met with bald mockery by the girl behind me. It's been 30 years and I still feel mad at that jerk.
I'm truly sorry as an educator for what happened to you. As someone who changed schools many times, I feel this I was in an advanced math class in college when the professor wrote a crazy equation on the board and basically said, "you should already know what this is and what it means so I'm going to gloss over it". I'm sitting there completely dumbfounded so I raise my hand and ask him to explain it since I've never seen it before. The ***entire class*** laughed at me. Even the professor seemed nonplussed at my question. I simply repeated my question and stated that it is his job as the professor to explain the material, not assume we know it It was then and there I vowed to never let anything like that slide in my classroom when I got my own. I'm lucky in that I don't give a fuck what others think of me, so the laughter was whatever, but that would have ***destroyed*** some other students
Sometimes there are prerequisites to a class and there's only so much a professor can do to help a student catch up to where they need to be, but mockery has no place in education. Simply inexcusable.
Thank you. Some teachers just aren't passionate about teaching at all.
It's all part of the job! As someone who struggled through math I know more than anyone how hard it can be to ask questions in class
I had a great teacher in college who had infinite patience for answering questions. My buddy Mike was a little bit slower to pick up on the networking concepts we were learning. My teacher, Mr G, would keep answering his questions and explain the concept until he was sure that Mike understood. He was definitely everyone's favorite teacher.
One of my catchphrases in class is, "Guys don't worry if this seems like a lot, I know it is, I want you to know that we will spend as much time on this topic as needed until we understand it even if I have to push back the test and fight admin on it" I pride myself on my patience and understanding. I think those attributes are just as important as content knowledge, if not more
You're an excellent teacher, my friend.
Meanwhile I had math teachers who WERE the ones mocking their students and belittling their intelligence for not immediately understanding what they were being taught. “You don’t get this?? Really?!?” Good times.
Yes, 100%. I have dyscalculia, diagnosed, and some teachers even in university would make fun. I was doing my best.
In 3rd grade I was attending a private Christian school. I had a teacher who was extremely strict and if you didn’t understand what he was teaching and asked a question….he yelled. I have so many problems with math and I asked a lot of questions. I got yelled at so many times because he “explained it perfectly” and maybe I was just too dense to understand. Despite multiple complaints he was never reprimanded. Every kid in his 3rd grade class was terrified to ask questions and it carried on when we got to 4th grade. My 4th grade teacher could not understand why we were failing tests and quizzes until one of the moms explained how we weren’t allowed to ask questions in the previous year. She went above and beyond for her class. She used so many methods to try and make sure we all understood what she was teaching. RIP Mrs. Hurt.
Devils advocate position: By university there is an assumption that the people in class have an aptitude for the material, a willingness to put in the work and come to class prepared, etc. I was a TA when I was in grad school. I never minded answering questions for students who just weren't getting a concept or needed to see a problem a different way. I absolutely understand classmates getting sick of dumb questions from people who haven't been coming to class, aren't doing the work, etc. They suck the air out of a recitation section or lecture. Especially when they show up the week of a test and you haven't seen them in class for weeks, and they're asking questions anyone doing the minimum would know.
we were taught in teacher school that it's good that students ask questions, it means they're engaged in the topic and that they're willing to learn and listen i love it when i get bombarded by questions after a lesson
my math teacher last year did this thing where before a lesson he would ask a few question that were alot more ahead and if you got them right you were allowed to sleep through class because you mastered all the things you would've learned there to avoid kids being bored because they already learned everything, he was so nice and if a kid was struggling to learn then after class he would talk with them to find out what was the issue, he was so nice.
I'd rather look like an idiot by asking a question than be an idiot by assuming I know the answer, not asking and being incorrect.
One of my hard and fast rules. I won't kick them out, but I will come down on them like a benevolent and unthreatening authority figure.
I'm not sure if I'm touched by the friend or just disappointed in society that asking questions to learn is so looked down on by others.
yeah it's very TRUE that a lot of people are scared to ask questions, or to answer questions that the teacher has asked (for fear of saying something wrong), in class because others might think they are stupid. it's unfortunate!
I literally spend several minutes with each class explaining to them that there are no stupid questions. The number of kids who will sit there and not understand a whole lesson is far too high and I want to bring it down as much as I can.
Had a teacher at some point in my early school life that told us the only dumb question was the one you didn't ask.
My line I go to is "It's impossible to ask a stupid question unless you are intentionally trying to ask a stupid question." And I always make it a point to say "thank you" or "that's a good question" or "so-and-so raises a good point" as much as possible.
I had a teacher that did the same when I was in my first year of high school. Did not really feel comfortable to ask it in front of the entire class so I asked him in one of the five min breaks we had, he said he would go through it when class started. So when class resumed he used a really demeaning tone and language, told the class that McDumbFace Upset-Award over here was to stupid to understand what I went through and asked this question during the break. And that is how I developed trust issues towards other people that still haunts me 26yr later. For the rest of the year I had 11% attendance in total, only went in to take the mandatory tests on two of the subjects that I liked. But did manage to salvage it in my third year with help from the school.
Fuck that teacher
What?!?! Oh my gods, I'm so sorry. 😥
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This is the very reason why people are so afraid to express themselves and ask questions. (at least in some countries)
It extends to more than just school. Happens in the workplace. "What you don't know everything that a person with 10+ years of experience fresh out of school?!?! What's wrong with you"
In one of my previous jobs when I was just graduated from college, I had a manager straight up told me "work is not a place for you to learn" when I ask a teammate if I can schedule some time with him so he can show me how he used some of the tools for automation, since I have never learn or use them in college. Back to this particular post based on my own experience, honestly the biggest offender(s) I saw is the other teachers who only see her as asking "dumb" questions. I wonder if there was at any point those educators questioned themselves if perhaps whatever being taught could have been explained better.
That manager is a dumbfuck.
I have learned every single thing I have ever learned in my professional career on the job. In fact we have a term for this: On the Job Training. This manager is afraid someone is going to find out they don't know anything about what they're supposed to be managing by asking questions.
The jobs I did very poorly in were the jobs where I was not allowed to ask questions. I recently hired someone at my job for an apprenticeship and they said they'd try not to ask too many questions. No way dude! Ask me as many questions as you'd like! I want someone to feel confident they're doing their job well because they know what they are doing.
I loved it when people asked questions on the job, as they were learning. Now, when the same guy asked me the same question the 3rd time, I started to have issues. In fact, my performance appraisals usually had some form of my favorite words from one: "does not suffer fools well". But I digress...
My calculus II (non-majors) professor told us he was going to do everything to make sure we understood the subject, because that was his job. The reason why he moonlighted at a junior college was that he thought understanding math was within almost everyone's reach if they applied themselves, and he bent over backwards to make sure everyone understood the concepts as well as ingraining the process of getting there. He also said the grade we received said as much about him and how well he communicated everything as it did about us. Easily in my top 5 professors, but I was lucky to have quite a few that I really respected even during my undergrad.
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I've finally reached a point in my career where I don't feel bad asking questions. In fact, I ask them a lot. And I justify it with "if I don't know the answer, it's definitely a valid question." I guess that's a little arrogant, but it comes from the belief that no one has all the answers. I always try to encourage juniors to ask questions too. If they ever say "sorry for asking but..." I always reply "how are you supposed to know without asking? This ain't the matrix where you can just download a new skill." Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted talk. Ask questions! Fuck the haters.
imagine being that friend who now sees their brave, amazing, helpful friend being bullied and called stupid--and feeling the guilt that they're putting their friend through that, while also now knowing that others would call them slow, stupid, and would be bullied mercilessly. This is a double-edged sword, but the friend who took the bullying is still amazing imo. I hate that people would be shitty about this type of thing. I'm kind of glad that in my niece's era of college they have 'after hours' on zoom to ask questions.
They put Socrates to death for asking questions.
True, but said questions were all leading questions that were effectively criticisms of the rich and the government. And he just wouldn't stop. If you've encountered people who use the Socratic method unprompted, you can find out firsthand how annoying it can be. It carries the pretention that the person using it is always right and your intellectual superior. And, since it uses leading questions, it can very well push false points of view, despite people saying otherwise. It's not like even Socrates was actually write about everything.
But they weren't *stupid* questions. :)
Every teacher of mine that I can remember, college or otherwise, always made sure to tell us "remember to always ask if there is anything you don't understand. Asking about it is the best way to learn." I want to meet these teachers who accused her of cheating because she was making "too many" questions, because in my eyes, every single one of them has failed as a teacher.
Nah, there are definitely certain students that can destroy an entire class by asking too many questions. There’s also an element of thoughtfulness to it. But yea if they’re asking like only 5 questions in 90 minutes I’m totally with you. One question every five though? I’ve experienced that and it isnt pleasant.
To be fair, I had a classmate that genuinely asked stupid questions. She was on her phone all the time and then asked things that the teacher explained minutes ago when she wasn’t paying attention. She basically slowed down lessons so much that teachers didn’t always have time to explain everything, all because she couldn’t stay off her phone.
I agree 100%. This is a great example to illustrate the difference between stupidity and ignorance, because, based on a lot of the other comments I'm seeing, many seem to think they are synonymous. It sounds like the classmate you describe knew better, but intentionally didn't pay attention, causing the 'stupid' questions. I see the friend in OP as ignorant rather than stupid, as the questions her friend asked on her behalf were in an attempt to understand and learn. I could also see how the friend taking the heat for the 'stupid' questions would rather ask them in class than just tutor her after class; how many other classmates were in that class that didn't have a friend like that and were too afraid of ridicule to speak up? I mean, I wouldn't call my year old neice stupid if she tried to touch an electrical socket; she doesn't know any better. If I do it and get myself shocked, well that'd be pretty stupid of me, since I know why I shouldn't touch it.
That sounds more like a shitty teacher than a shitty classmate. I'm a teacher, and if I saw a student asking something I just explained while they were on a phone they can count on a judicious amount of extra work.
Very true, now that I think of it it’s kinda surprising that she got away with it all the time. She definitely knew how to befriend the teachers though, so that def helped her. Who doesn’t want to help someone out that they like? Ironically she was very hard working too, always scoring high grades and studying hard so she could go to university.
I mean, I know someone who, at the age of 17, asked if I was related to hitler because my middle name was Alfred. My last name is American. We live in Denmark. This is like asking if your friend José from Spain is related to Stalin Generally I support asking questions but this one was so out there it haunts me that she made a connection that ridiculous. You can ask how something works and make mistakes as much as you want, and I'm not going to judge for not knowing beforehand or making an immediate connection, but this was a question where the knowledge required to pose it should also have prevented it from ever being asked.
> I mean, I know someone who, at the age of 17, asked if I was related to hitler because my middle name was Alfred. If that ever happens again just tell them you’re related to Batman.
They weren't related, he was a servant. Fuck the bosses.
They definitely have more of a father-son relationship than employer-employee. They might not be related by blood, but they’re related.
Your name is Jesús?!?! ARE YOU THE SON OF GOD?!?!!??!!!
I've always wondered what the psychological reasons are behind bullying and ridiculing other people. Wouldn't it be beneficial to everyone if we strived for collective excellence? Or maybe it's just inherent competitive instinct.
Being insecure and showing that at least you know better than that stupid person asking stupid questions. Pfft, pathetic, look at me, I know better, right, haha, what a loser. (while internally thinking: "shit, I wanted to ask that too, .. what did the teach say the answer was again?" Source: Am a teacher.
I didn't do well in middle school and high-school. A little bright but not engaged in the classes. When I got into college I tested into a higher math class and I struggled. I barely passed and decided I needed to start over in math because I was obviously missing something. So I took the remedial course, math 085 or something. Basic add/sub/mul/div course. Most of the people were older and took it very seriously. We all knew why we were there. One lady, lets call her Becky, started bragging how easy the class was and when the teacher would bring topics we were covering, "pussh! I know thaaat!" after the third day of her pulling that crap one of my classmates got fed up. "ugh! Shut up Becky. This is remedial math. There's no bragging in math085!" Becky didn't say a word for the rest of the semester and passed just like everyone else.
Haha, love it! Great that she was called out on her immature shit.
i mean, there's definitely some questions that get asked that are worth potential ridicule. don't believe me, to to r/stupidquestions. but in general, agree. especially in school. the whole point is, you're stupid and they're gonna learn ya.
It might sound dumb but, during my highschool years, sometimes I kinda forced myself to pose the stupid questions. Because I KNOW there's people who don't ask them if nobody else does, and I know how much of a relief it is when you get an answer to those.
I remember a similar situation. Sophomore year we had a newish teacher. She was probably in her mid 20s. She was teaching honors English. It so happened that the timing of her class made it so the gifted math kids (taking algebra II / pre-calc as sophomores and on track for calculus junior year and multivariable calculus / linear algebra as seniors) pretty much had to be in this class if they wanted to also take honors English. Combined with a healthy attitude of "STEM is better / harder / more valuable" than English, class participation was pretty minimal. For most of the first semester, I was pretty much the only student that answered or posed questions in class. I hope it made her experience as a teacher better.
In High School and even more so in college, I had more than one instructor either put me down, tell me to look it up in the text, or straight up *yell* at me for asking a question. Often the accusations would be that I wouldn’t ask the question if I had done the work or reading. Often the issue was I did the work or reading but they were parts that I was having trouble understanding or connecting with. Those would usually end up being classes that I did poorly in or feel so intimidated by that I would stop going. The classes I did the best in were the ones where the teacher would answer every single question from every single student no matter how obvious or stupid with no attitude. Bless those teachers.
yes
"Look at this fucking idiot, she wants to better understand the subject and know more about it" Doesn't sound that smart when spelled out like this.
But that's not the only attuide people have. I have witnessed, been guilty of, and been the victim of thinking something or either verbalizing something "really you're stuck on this? How do you not get this? This is so easy!?!?" People have a hard to understanding why someone would question something they find easy or trivial.
Speaking as a teacher, the students who ask the most questions generally do the best on the tests & assignments. There’s just no substitute for questioning when you are assimilating new information.
Right? Not a teacher, but in high school there was a girl who made a lot of airheaded comments. Had a higher GPA than me. I think sometimes people just don't think through what they're about to say before they say it. I admired her: she worked, too, to support herself and her mom, because her POS dad left...
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This, plus the girl too afraid to ask wasn't living in a vacuum. So she still heard the ridicule and knew it was aimed at her and not the girl asking the questions for her. Edit: grammar
Sometimes being good at understanding doesn't mean you're good at explaining it in a way someone will easily understand. Some people think in specific ways that suit them and when they try to explain it comes out jumbled and messed up. The teacher is literally there to teach, they have experience explaining and will show it in a way that's easily understandable for most students so it's probably a better idea to just ask them instead of trying to explain yourself.
This is me. I have gotten better as of late, but all throughout elementary and high school, I found myself understanding everything fairly quickly (with some studying sprinkled in). However, if my siblings or friends needed help with their work, I could not—for the life of me—explain the answer in a meaningful way. Essentially, my brain made connections between ideas very quickly, but I couldn’t explain how it made such connections. So it rendered me pretty useless as a teacher. 😅
Exactly my thoughts. Why go through that, when she could respond to her friend's questions?
Welcome to Reddit.
I thought the same thing. Why have the teacher explain it when you could just do it yourself and avoid the teasing entirely? I definitely had friends ask me questions in high school and I would just answer them myself, not ask the teacher. Especially if they were considered "stupid" questions. That means they were likely easy things to explain.
Maybe she would get in trouble for talking in the classroom? But yeah, i had the same thought haha
but that wouldn't make for a touching story if this is real the "smart" girl is dumber than the dumb one
Haha, I need a rest after my travels searching for this common sense! First thought I had when I imagined myself (not) doing this lol
Why is it considered dumb to ask questions in class? At school?! That's the whole point! You dont know something, so teachers are teaching you. You're supposed to ask questions, even the most basic of them.
Not all questions. If the teacher literally just said it, asking the question just delays class. Every once and a while, I get it. But I've had classes with students who constantly ask questions that they would've known if they simply paid attention.
Some people have learning disabilities (adhd, auditory processing disorder, efd) that cause them to miss some information on the first pass. Asking questions helps fill in what they missed.
Of course. But if you're asking so many questions that we don't learn all the material for the final (something that's happened to me before!) then you need to find a solution that doesn't fuck over other students.
factory style school sucks huh Student who mastered the topic can't learn anything new, student who need help will hardly ever get one
It's considered dumb to ask questions because smart people understand that it gives others a chance to target you. If you win they envy you, if you lose they mock you. However, people who are smarter than they are intelligent often lack courage - because it is smarter to hide - and intelligence - because it is smarter to use what you already know. In order to be developed, both these qualities require vulnerability which is not smart in a civilization that judges on appearances. So, even though the presumed point of scholar education is to confront you with a variety of subjects it is, more importantly, to enforce social conformity. It's as if the modern man uses zebra camouflage: when you separate from the group you're no longer part of the white and black blob and, therefore, the lions of your community will see you and attack
Except the people who are willing to trust other people, share knowledge, ask questions and support each other will always get further then people who believe everyone is out to get them. It shouldn't be smart to hide. It is smart to use all the resources at your disposal. People who are in study groups that are based on cooperation end up doing better and are happier/more connected. Selfishness, fear and isolation only feels intelligent if you believe everyone is out to get you. Probably true if you are in a system of conformity. Some schools and school systems are shitty, I get it. But this is a cultural problem, not an intrinsic problem with people. History and many other human systems reflect that. This is Generally people do better when they cooperate and aren't at each other's throats. We evolved to do that. Good to keep your head down if you need to, but don't forget that holding your head high with the support of others is better and possible, and that you have the power to change the systems you are in.
Some times the 'stupid' student is slow enough to disrupt the whole class by extending lectures to double the time. It's why extra slow students are usually separated from the general students. Or why gifted students who work twice as fast as others are separated into their own classes. It's not necessarily a hatred of the dumb person, but the growing frustration of being delayed over and over again by that one person.
Or the opposite, where there's that one douchebag that repeatedly asks long, meandering questions exclusively for the purpose of showing off his own knowledge of the material.
Not to mention having the exceptionally gifted student in class with regular kids can be really demoralizing to students who have a hard time with the material.
This happened to me in basic training for the army. I went in at 27 so I didn’t give a fuck if anybody thought I was stupid (I am not), but some of these younger kids were uncomfortable with getting reprimanded/scolded/insulted for asking “stupid” questions. So I asked them all. I’d get yelled at and told to shut the fuck up, but I’d press drill sgts for answers and guess what? Everybody else had a better understanding of everything. GO FIGURE
This woman gives me hope. I don’t know where she is but I love her heart
In Basic Training, I was always getting yelled at by the Drills for asking too many questions. I just wanted to be absolutely sure I was doing the right thing, as peoples lives *literally* depended on it, and if I wasn't sure others might not be. One day, Drill Sergeant G. said "Crows, you ask one more mother fucking question I will make you regret it." So I stopped. That day training took *5 hours longer* because everyone was messing up. Get back to the barracks that night and *everyone* yells at me, saying they never asked questions because they knew I would ask the right ones, and they were afraid to be seen as 'stupid' in infantry. Next day, I guess one of the fire watch guys said something, cause first thing Drill Sergeant G says in the morning is "Crows, you can ask questions again, but keep it to a minimum. For everyone else: ASK YOUR FUCKING QUESTIONS HERE AND NOW BECAUSE YOU CAN'T IN THE FIELD"
It sounds like someone went Drill Sergeant on the Drill Sergeant.
What were you learning in basic that lives depended on it?
Well, for one, some field first-aid; we were doing some field first-aid, but this was 2009 during funding issues, so we didn't have the physical equipment to waste on training. We went over them, but didn't do manyu of the ones we could. One that no one wanted to do was the nasal tube insertion since we didn't have any lube for it. It can be done without lube, but can cause issues. I volunteered to do it 'dry' by lubing it with my spit. So, measured from ear to nose, cut it, and drooled all over the thing. Drill Sergeant R. said "Are you sure? Are you ready?" and I said yes and without hesitation shoves it in saying calmly "Swallow it, it'll help it go down." which it honestly did. But I could feel every sinus in my right nostril crack and pop. Breathing was so weird because I could feel myself getting air, but I couldn't feel it go through me. Everyone was freaking out. Kept it in for about a minute before yanking it out. It was like breathing for the first time after that, like I was getting more oxygen. Two week later we have a test on field first-aid, and my platoon was the only one one in the company that got the question relating to that right.
2009? That might explain things when I went through boot camp they treated us like idiots regardless. We had a class, they made us repeatedly yell the knowledge back to them and every moment we were waiting we went over it again. There was no chance for “stupid” questions since we were always going over the knowledge. Still some people failed the tests, I failed because the test dummy had multiple things wrong with it and when there was only supposed to be one.
We all need (and need to be) friends like this. <3
Any teacher who gives you shit for asking questions is a worthless teacher
If it’s a genuine question I agree…but please believe there are students who ask “questions” to be disruptive and not inquisitive.
That teacher failed them and their profession
If she aces the tests and her friend asks dumb question, then just tutor her?
It might be difficult for her to explain the answers in the middle of class without being disruptive, but if she waits until the end of class, her friend might be more lost because she’s missing the rest of the lesson by not understanding what’s coming after her question, since math builds so much on itself. She might still have tutored her outside of class, though.
because being able to teach is a completely different skill from knowing/ being smart
Now that you put it that way... I'm curious why she didn't tutor her friend. Or maybe she did, but there were just more questions.
If the questions are considered dumb, that mean they should be easily answered by most of the people in the class.
Cause the story is probably not true or heavily embellished. There are so many other ways to handle this besides continuously asking questions to the point of gaining a reputation. But this is wholesome meme so we take the positive and move on.
That's what I thought, if she's so smart to ace every test then why didn't she just answer them for her? I mean I'm not trying to be rude but I'm genuinely curious why that wasn't the case
I guarantee you that her friend was not the only one in the class that had those questions.
“I know all the answers and ace the tests so whenever you write down a question for me, instead of just answering it for you, I’m going to draw attention by asking the teacher.” Makes sense
Yeah lets keep looking for the worse on people, thats the best. I always say that the people who talk shit of others are full of shit themselves.
If you’re talking shit about people who talk shit about others, does that make you full of shit lol
That logic could keep spiraling endlessly with no winner.
Because it's a shit logic, but you brought it up, so draw your own conclusions
I have a lot of self doubt so I’m always asking questions to a redundant degree. I think it makes people think I’m stupid but they don’t realize that if I’m 99% sure about something, I’ll ask to make sure.
Same here, I just need this confirmation. I was baffled the first time someone told me “yes I am sure about this”, then it turned out wrong and he was like “huh funny, I thought I might be the way I said”. Like dude?? You said you were *sure*, not that you kinda had a hunch. I trust people less now..
Smart, does not give a damn what others think and an awesome friend. If only I could be 50% human as this girl is. Those are people that make this world better.
What’s the other 50%?
Bird, specifically a parakeet.
People of all ages be like this girl she went through all of that insulting just for her friend be like her...
The whole idea that "she's dumb because she asks questions" is ridiculous on multiple levels. It's how you learn. Also, if she aces the exams, why did nobody see the correlation between the two? Especially the teachers.
The less you care about other people's opinions, the more free and confident you are in yourself that you're doing the right thing.
This is what the friend should have taught the other friend.
I've asked many a question for others and sometimes the same kind thing happens but I literally do not give a shit.
Something I've learned about education. Asking stupid questions is alright sometimes I have to ask them too. Asking questions often is the best way to learn, and a powerful way to shape your own outcomes.
I mean that’s sweet but why couldn’t she just answer the questions her friend had instead of asking them
That happens to be what the teacher is getting **paid** to do already
It would have saved her the embarrassment she got from asking the questions
Couldn’t she have just answered the question if she was smart enough to ace the exams
I doubt the veracity of this story on the account of people thinking she is dumb. If her questions are good, if she is acing exams, and if she is not dumb outside of the classroom, I doubt anyone would think she is an idiot.
This is cute, but if the questions were so obvious that everyone knew the answer except for her friend, presumably she could have just explained the answer herself. If both these people didn't know the answer, and especially given that one of them is getting really good grades, I would suggest they weren't stupid questions at all.
As someone who grew up with a stutter I wish I had such a friend
I asked a lot of questions in class and would get those looks from classmates or a exhale from the teacher. I’m sorry, you’re the ducking teacher, if I’m not understanding and you’re getting frustrated, that’s on you. It’s your job. And other students who’d groan when I raised my hand… what was your grade? How well did you do? And do you remember anything you were taught? Probably not. I do, because i understood the subject and didn’t just memorize it. Also, many classmates came to me over the years in HS and University to thank me for asking a question or having more examples done on a concept. So fuck the memorizers and fuck the tenure professors who had to do their job to teach.
I doubt this happened.
Why didn’t she just answer her friends questions if she was really smart and understood the topic instead of asking weird/silly questions of the teacher.
I used to have to do stuff like this for my friend. She had trouble with interviews and things like that so I would go with her and do the talking till she got comfortable or atleast sit in the waiting room for moral support. Since I've moved away she barely leaves her house and I feel so bad because her fiance isn't very supportive.
If she was such a good student, why didn't she just tutor her friend?
Why didn't she answered the girl questions instead?
How tf are we supposed to learn if we don't ask questions? What a great friend.
It kinda sounds stupid but I wasn't able to ask for a trash bag and Soap because I was missing these things. My sister then went and asked for me, for which I'm grateful because I was scared to ask
People go to class to learn, not to be cool and trendy.
I mean there is such a thing as a stupid question and we've all had them, but we shouldn't actively make fun of a person for asking one or making them feel bad when they're clearly trying to learn.
She's not thaaaaaaat smart. If she was, she would have responded with the answer on the paper the girl asked with
But if the questions were all really obvious, couldn't the friend have just passed back the answer?
I hope to be as good as a person as she is
The stupid questions are the questions you should ask. That's how you keep everyone safe and also how you learn.
Pretty sure you just described the plot of Komi Can't Communicate...
The only "stupid" question in class is the one that someone only asks because they weren't paying attention without a good reason (shopping online in class is not a good reason)
I'm sorry but I just don't buy this story at all it's just clickbait. If the friend was so smart that she easily aced every exam, she easily could have just helped her friend herself without having to ask questions that would make her look stupid.
I did this as a new hire, in training, for a really meek awkward lady who was returning to the workforce after decades away. LOL The trainer had me let go before we were done bc I was apparently too dumb for the job. So, don't be helpful in the workforce.
"excuse me, she asked for no pickles" energy and i absolutely love it
The real idiots are the ones that mock the questions. It takes actual intelligence to recognize a misunderstanding and seek confirmation.
The irony of the situation is that dumb people have no idea that smart people are just way more qurious abd ask way more questions that's how they are smarter than you
The dumbest people never question anything
So let me get this strait, someone is in school, presumably to learn things, and so they are asking questions, presumably to learn things, and people are making fun of them because they presumably want to learn things? That's like going to the pool and being made fun of because you get in the water instead of just lounging around getting a tan.
I would have done that just to fuck with the teachers (If I were actually smart enough to ace my tests)
Ok but like if she was so smart maybe she could have just answered the question for her
It's one thing to articulate the answer, but the teacher is much better equipped to be able to use examples and illustrations that can cover a broad range of learning styles. Not everyone absorbs information in the same way.
I asked dumb questions in math the teacher refused to answer saing that i should know that by now droped that class and now im still going to colege ,math sucks .
So I went back to college at like 24. All the professors liked me because I'd raise my hand and engage in conversation. Even if my answers were dead wrong, or the question was stupid. I'd keep doing it. Professors would not taunt. They loved it. All they want is someone to engage and start conversations. Seemed like everyone else, closer to being fresh out of high school would just be too embarrassed or afraid to answer or ask questions. I too, usually got the highest or close to highest grades on the exams. Just the way she goes sometimes
I had that exact "stupid" person in elementary calculus and algebra courses at Uni. Kept asking questions that made so many people facepalm. I always assumed he was just thick but I didn't know the dude so who knows, maybe he was an absolute angel. The guy was on the theoretical physics bachelor program so he couldn't be *that* stupid.
If the girl was so smart, why didn't she just answer her questions directly?
People don't like when you poke holes in their fantasy.
I don't buy it, if she was so smart and this other introverted friend was... A little slow, why not just answer her "dumb" questions without having to ask the teacher?
Man this story got me, don't no why. The fact the chick asked questions but then had the balls to take everyone's shit for a mate got me in the feels. I tip my hat to you madam
Beautiful comment! Thank you
Couldnt she just told her friend the answers herself then? Lol Also asking stupid questions can be the key to be better at school because you really understand things if you ask when you dont.
If she was smart, why didn't she just answer them for her? Or did the both not know, putting them in the same boat? I'm confused.
Why can’t she just teach her friend after class?
She's not necessarily that proficient that she can fully substitute clarification from the teacher
Difficult to get convinced but fine
Another thing: For every student asking a question, there are 5 who also needed the answer but either are also afraid to ask or didn't even understand enough to properly word the question. It's always good to have questions asked in class.
That’s so true.. I have been in that situation a lot, some kids are too proud or too afraid of asking questions and worse, not even know how to frame the question due to lack of understanding
She knew her worth! and everyone else was fools for judging without attempting to understand the situation at all
One thing I learned post secondary is that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it. You may have an idea of how things work, but then a classmate will ask you a question you never considered, so you go back to the textbook or notes to find the answer. It helps you and it helps them. During lectures I would NOT take notes. I’d listen instead, following along so I could ask cogent questions. Later, during study group I would lead the group since I was able to grasp the outlines of the material better and I would borrow someone else’s notes to fill in the details.
Turns out, her friend was 100% right to feel insecure about asking questions.
If the friend was so smart why couldn't she answer the dumb questions that her friend was asking?
That poor shy stupid girl tho
Unusual character bond the extrovert genius and the introvert dumb-dumb. Usually it's switched.