How I Avoid Embarrassment When Asking Basic Questions
Hi, my name is Andie and my goal is to help average students get into their dream colleges by becoming excellent test takers.
Asking questions people believe (or assume) you should already know the answer to can be stressful and lead to embarrassment. When I was taking AP US History, I had a friend who constantly asked really basic questions frequently. Whenever her hand would go up, groans would sound around the classroom. I hated that for her, and started telling her to just ask me first and if I couldn't answer it then ask the teacher. And she thanked me, but declined. She was super confident and didn't care if anyone else was annoyed at her for seeking clarification.
There have been many times when I didn't ask a question I really needed to understand the answer to because I couldn't get over the embarrassment of asking such a "simple" question. Thinking back to this class and her confidence sometimes gave me the push I needed to just do it. But, that spark of confidence was fleeting and unsustainable. So, if anyone else is struggling with asking these types of questions, I would like to offer some tips on what has worked for me:
Find someone you trust to ask. I lucked out when taking calculus that I had a TA who was kind and non-judgemental. There were times I would show up to office hours and would struggle through elementary concepts. Fortunately, he was willing to break everything down even if the concept was simple and something I should remember learning a long time ago. Finding someone, be it another student or a teacher for a different class, that you know will be kind and explain whatever you're struggling with non-judgmentally can be really helpful when trying to push past the embarrassment of not knowing something and asking for help.
Google it. While I don't recommend becoming too reliant on tools such as WolframAlpha, Symbolab, etc. sometimes you may need to search their sites (and potentially sign up for a free trial) in order to see the problem broken down step-by-step. This way you're "asking" your question and not having to worry about what people will think of you because of it.
Send an email. Somethings are easier to ask via email.
If you're in class or choosing to ask questions face-to-face and the person you're asking says something along the lines of "you should already know this", keep this in mind:
It's important to remember that it's okay not to know everything, and it's better to ask for help than to pretend that you know something you don't. By letting them know that you don't know the answer and asking for help, you show that you are trying to learn.
Some responses you can consider to "you should already know this" are:
"I'm sorry, but I don't actually know the answer. Could you explain it to me?"
"I understand that I probably should know the answer, but I don't. Could you help me out?"
"I know I'm supposed to know this, but I'm not sure what the answer is. Could you help me?"
Don't be discouraged if you're preparing for an exam and you come across information you don't know or problems you don't know how to solve. My goal is to help you learn some strategies for improvement so you can master the content and get an excellent exam score! If you’re using this to help figure out how you can prepare for your upcoming exam, I hope you found value in this article. If you did, please like it and share with a friend! And, I would love to hear what topics you would like for me to cover next!
You've Got This,
Andie
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