Professors have the coolest job. They get to pass on knowledge to students that will eventually make some huge difference in the world, they get to intimidate people whenever they want, they’re respected (or feared)…
…and they get to make you look pretty dumb in front of everyone. Sometimes even without meaning to.
You raise your hand to ask a question, and the professor doesn’t notice, but everyone else does.. so you’re stuck in this awkward position and must decide how to continue: Will you keep your hand up until he notices? Will you bring it back down?
As awesome as it sounds to say that you would speak up, you usually don’t, admit it. You just sit there with your hand up, and start to wonder how you must look like to everyone else.
I guess it could be worse. Wait a minute, I know it can be worse. Have you ever actually asked something at what you considered to be an appropriate volume, and your professor straight out ignores you? It happened to me over and over with the same professor one semester.
In her defense, she was partially deaf. Everyone kept telling me that she had said that in the beginning, but I guess I didn’t hear her. It got pretty funny sometimes, which left us feeling like the meanest people on the planet.
I feel horrible.
Ok anyway, despite all of those awkward moments in a classroom, the one I still clearly remember to this day is raising my hand to answer something super matter-of-factly and getting it wrong. Way to go me.
