I’ve known many types of student, throughout my school life, and I’m sure many of you have as well. I’ve noticed that no matter who the student or what category of student they fall into, there’s one thing that many seem to struggle with – communicating with their teachers!
Now I can understand that the reason behind this is different for everyone; some are too proud to ask for help, some of you are just shy and others seem to think that if they step foot into a teacher’s office, outside of class hours, a higher power will magically glue their lips to the professor’s ass!
But in all seriousness, who cares? I promise you your pride will not take that big of a hit by asking someone for help, nor will your teacher think you’re a timid, stuttering fool and (I cannot stress this last point enough) they DEFINITELY will not automatically assume you’re a teacher’s pet for asking a question. And if your friends condemn you for it, then I hate to break it to you, but you need some new friends.
Lack of communication between you and your professor can have some pretty bad consequences. Surely it makes more sense to use every resource available to you, especially in this sort of situation.
Your teachers are normally the people who set your exams, who mark them, who decide which of you pass and which of you fail. By going to your teacher to ask about the topics you’re maybe a bit iffy on, you’re going to get a clear and precise explanation, with only the information relevant to your class. This means that a) you don’t waste time studying details unrelated to your subject, b) you don’t waste time initially trying to find answers to your questions in books or on the internet (the last of which you can’t always trust) and c) you know how your examiner would respond to these questions, giving you an edge in the exam.
I’m not suggesting running to the professor with every tiny, insignificant problem that you have, but if you are worried by a genuine concern or lack of understanding in a specific subject it doesn’t hurt to ask for help.
Every one of your teachers has been hired to teach you, to advise you with your problems and advance your level of learning. They can’t do this, however, if you’re not willing to ask them for a helping hand.
