Published in the December 9 – 22, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Hildelisa Murillo
Hildelisa Murillo
Imagine this. You are in your math class, it is sixth period, your last period of the day and you are learning something completely new. Your initial reaction to the foreign material is, this seems easy enough. I can do this. Then suddenly, your math teacher introduces variables and equations that you cannot even begin to understand. You start asking yourself, Where did they come from? What am I supposed to do with them? Am I doing this right? The teacher then asks, “Does anyone have any questions?” Before the teacher is even finished asking her question, your hand shoots into the air and you are ready to ask your own. Little did you know that some of your peers had those same questions, they were just too afraid to ask in front of the class. Minutes later the bell rings and class is over. You collect your belongings and one of your close friends comes up to you just as you start heading toward the door. She/he then says, “I’m glad you asked that question, at first I was really confused with what to do with the 3x^2 but now I understand it.”
It is normal for some teenagers to be afraid to admit their confusion on subjects, especially at school.
Participation in class while lessons are being taught, as well as group activities, is vital to one’s understanding of the material. If the student mentioned in the hypothetical above were to have ignored their questions in the hopes that they would later miraculously understand the day’s lesson on their own, they would have gone through much more trouble than was necessary. Not only that, there would have been other students in the class with the same questions that would have gone unanswered.
By actively participating in class the individual was able to further their understanding on the topic and unknowingly helping some of their peers as well.
Take part in school lectures, don’t let your questions go unanswered, and participate in group activities. By doing so, you will improve your comprehension along with helping others to do the same.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” He is stating the level of commitment a person needs in order to formally learn something with a deep understanding. It is possible. Take initiative of your future and become more involved because it will benefit you in the end.
Hildelisa Murillo is a 16-year-old sophomore at Dr. T.J. Owens Gilroy Early College Academy. In her spare time she enjoys horseback riding.
