( -- The Beacon)
By Rachel McIntosh
Take a moment, will you, and imagine yourself sitting in your fourth class of the day, eyes burning from the contacts you weren't supposed to fall asleep in and head swaying back and forth like a top-heavy Jenga puzzle that's about to crumble down onto the desk. But you did make it to class, awake, alert (more or less) and ready to take in the lesson.
Now imagine that eager little participator in the front of the room (obviously well rested) anxiously waving his or her (gender neutral, but for the sake of time let's go with "her") hand, hoping that her voice will be heard. After each bullet on the PowerPoint slide, the internal monologue of our fervent front-row friend is bursting with commentary. She doesn't hold back as she expresses how the topic has impacted her on a personal level and what life lesson applies to the current subject.
Participation is a topic that is near and dear to my heart because I seem to struggle with it on a daily basis.
I'm not a bad student. I attend every class (unless I am actually ill). I complete every assignment to the best of my ability. I do not text in class. My eyes may get heavy, but I never sleep in class either. Yet, when I am prompted to express my thoughts, feelings and emotions, I hesitate.
Verbal participation is like pulling teeth. I fear it. I cannot condone the idea of disclosing my own personal thoughts and reflections to a group of mere acquaintances. Now please understand I am more than happy to acquiesce when directly prompted for a response, but open discussion time has never been my forte. Yet, professors dock points when I remain silent. They punish me for exercising my internal monologue and keeping my thoughts and opinions to myself.
In elementary school, I was scolded for telling the teacher how I felt. Now professors seem to idolize that opinionated zealot I was trained to suppress. You can see how conflicting this can be for a person, can you not?
So when you are sitting in class reflecting on the world around, and you feel the urge to share your observations, please think about it. If the first thing out of your mouth is going to be that this comment you have racking your brain may not apply, I urge you to stop. Please, please just stop. I want to hear your opinions just as much as you want to hear mine. And professors, please leave me be. I'm sure you're not dying to hear my opinion. If you are, Passionate Patty talks enough for the both of us.
Now you may be thinking, why is she choosing to share her thoughts and opinions with us now? Well, because my editors are making me.
