You ask too many questions

I have always been the kid in class to raise my hand, stay after class, and stay after school when I had questions. When I was starting kindergarten, I used to see asking questions as the ‘normal’ thing to do when I was confused. I was not scared or shut down. I had to go to a speech and concept class with a teaching aid. I struggled to understand the material and how to communicate when I was in first grade. I liked asking questions and talking to my teacher. But in ninth grade, I took an algebra class, where I struggled a lot. My teacher was also my assistant volleyball coach, so we would stay after school before practice to help me understand the material better. Later in the year, she made my mom come in after school to talk about this situation. I was excited going into this, I thought she was going to say the effort I put into this class was paying off. Instead, she was ridiculing me. I felt so embarrassed for her to tell me all of this to my mom. After that, I was hesitant to ask questions. I would try and research more before I asked. I would try asking different questions about concepts to understand. I would talk to more people first too. But still, I was usually slightly not sure. Then, I became obsessed with becoming a perfectionist, so there was no room for error. I tried answering every question so I knew that at least one response would answer the prompt. But I never really solved the problem until I learned in ESP103, the first ESP class I took here, how to have the confidence to answer the question how I perceived it. I asked my professor questions, and he never made me feel like I asked too many. I began to have my academic confidence back. I no longer felt I was too much or there too often. Since the first semester of freshman year, I have gained more academic confidence and no longer feel I am asking too many questions. I was just asking the wrong people. I learned that the people who do care will help, and are more than happy to help. This perspective change has made its way to adjust other aspects of my life for the better. 

By: Grace O’Brien

Year: Sophomore

Major: Business Analytics 

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Fun Fact: I am left-handed