Has a teacher ridiculed you for asking too many questions?

Page 2 of 2 [ 26 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

31 Jan 2022, 1:45 pm

Mrs. S. Harlem, my 6th grade teacher, told me I would never make it past Junior High.

She wouldn't read this; even her kids probably wouldn't read this. She was at least in her 60s in 1973.



kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

14 Feb 2022, 7:51 am

I was ridiculed for stating too many answers. :jester:



Lost_dragon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 May 2017
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,738
Location: England

28 Mar 2022, 4:51 pm

I remember back in Primary school I annoyed a teacher because I was overthinking about a book. The book in question was called 'Rainbow fish'. She told us that it was about the importance of sharing but the story didn't sit well with me.

From what I remember, the story was about a fish with silvery blue scales that appeared rainbow due to the sunlight shining in the water. All the other fish would ask the rainbow fish for a scale but the rainbow fish declined. The other fish shunned the rainbow fish for not giving up the scales until eventually the rainbow fish has a change of heart and gives the other fish a scale each. Apparently this is meant to be a happy story. However, I disagreed.

When asked about what I thought about the story, I said that I disliked it and that I wondered how the rainbow fish managed to remove its scales. I could suspend my disbelief enough to accept talking fish, but the scales puzzled me. Further, I asked if the rainbow fish would still be known as the rainbow fish since every fish now had a rainbow scale...so what did that make the rainbow fish? Would the rainbow fish now go by a different name? Could the rainbow fish feel a lack of identity now that the one physical identifier they had is no longer unique? Why did the other fish want a scale so badly when the impressive aspect of the scales was how they looked as a collective? Can it really be considered a change of heart if that change is brought about by social shame and being guilt-tripped? Why were the other fish such jerks to the rainbow fish, especially when considering that they offered nothing in return? Sure, they became the rainbow fish's friends again but only because they got what they wanted and is that really friendship? I ranted on about identity and how I could understand the claim of selfishness if the rainbow fish was hoarding food, but considering the fact that it was scales, the rainbow fish had every right to keep its scales because the rainbow fish keeping its scales was not harming anyone.

The teacher looked just about ready to quit teaching. "How about we stick with things we like about this book?" I reluctantly agreed and said I liked the colours. Others chimed in with what they liked about the book.

"Did you like anything else?"

"No"

Promptly after that she ended the lesson and avoided answering any of my questions. Looking back on it, I understand why she did as I was going completely off-syllabus / taking over the lesson when it was supposed to be a simple lesson about sharing. I also annoyed this teacher when we were told the story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and I made a remark about how of course Santa and the other reindeers were nice to him now that they had a use for him. That the love they had for him was insincere / an act purely to make sure Rudolph never quits. I was told that I read too much into things and that I should just enjoy the stories like everyone else. Unfortunately for my teachers I was stubborn.


_________________
24. Possibly B.A.P.


auntblabby
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,605
Location: the island of defective toy santas

28 Mar 2022, 5:10 pm

only math teachers. there is a trend there IMHO.



elal
Butterfly
Butterfly

Joined: 29 Nov 2021
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Posts: 17

12 Apr 2022, 2:57 pm

No, I don't think so. I think a few of my teachers didn't like explaining things multiple times especially in different ways.



RalphToMe
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 19 Oct 2022
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Posts: 3
Location: Alberta

04 Nov 2022, 1:23 am

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH boy, this is the wildest thing to be reading, because you've pretty much summed up the exact reason I left in-person schooling. Mine had less to do with the clarity of assignments (it was an art school, we weren't fans of 'learning') and more to do with getting bullied for getting too invested in class discussions. Sort of realized that some of the things they were putting on the board were crazy and cool and interesting... and nobody else was really there for that kind of school experience. It's not their fault, the whole system is horribly structured and I know my interruptions didn't make it easy for anyone else, but there were a couple times I got some exasperated sighs or laughter (especially in social studies, oops). People started talking to me as a joke. Like the idea of talking to me was ridiculous enough to be funny to them. One teacher in particular took a couple jabs at me and it's stayed with me a long time afterwards, but I'm much more comfortable learning on my own now. Things are fascinating and brilliant and cool, and nobody gets to tell me otherwise!



RalphToMe
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 19 Oct 2022
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Posts: 3
Location: Alberta

04 Nov 2022, 1:30 am

Lost_dragon wrote:
I remember back in Primary school I annoyed a teacher because I was overthinking about a book. The book in question was called 'Rainbow fish'. She told us that it was about the importance of sharing but the story didn't sit well with me.

From what I remember, the story was about a fish with silvery blue scales that appeared rainbow due to the sunlight shining in the water. All the other fish would ask the rainbow fish for a scale but the rainbow fish declined. The other fish shunned the rainbow fish for not giving up the scales until eventually the rainbow fish has a change of heart and gives the other fish a scale each. Apparently this is meant to be a happy story. However, I disagreed.

When asked about what I thought about the story, I said that I disliked it and that I wondered how the rainbow fish managed to remove its scales. I could suspend my disbelief enough to accept talking fish, but the scales puzzled me. Further, I asked if the rainbow fish would still be known as the rainbow fish since every fish now had a rainbow scale...so what did that make the rainbow fish? Would the rainbow fish now go by a different name? Could the rainbow fish feel a lack of identity now that the one physical identifier they had is no longer unique? Why did the other fish want a scale so badly when the impressive aspect of the scales was how they looked as a collective? Can it really be considered a change of heart if that change is brought about by social shame and being guilt-tripped? Why were the other fish such jerks to the rainbow fish, especially when considering that they offered nothing in return? Sure, they became the rainbow fish's friends again but only because they got what they wanted and is that really friendship? I ranted on about identity and how I could understand the claim of selfishness if the rainbow fish was hoarding food, but considering the fact that it was scales, the rainbow fish had every right to keep its scales because the rainbow fish keeping its scales was not harming anyone.

The teacher looked just about ready to quit teaching. "How about we stick with things we like about this book?" I reluctantly agreed and said I liked the colours. Others chimed in with what they liked about the book.

"Did you like anything else?"

"No"

Promptly after that she ended the lesson and avoided answering any of my questions. Looking back on it, I understand why she did as I was going completely off-syllabus / taking over the lesson when it was supposed to be a simple lesson about sharing. I also annoyed this teacher when we were told the story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and I made a remark about how of course Santa and the other reindeers were nice to him now that they had a use for him. That the love they had for him was insincere / an act purely to make sure Rudolph never quits. I was told that I read too much into things and that I should just enjoy the stories like everyone else. Unfortunately for my teachers I was stubborn.


YEAHH I did this too, but honestly looking back on it I just feel really disheartened, and I'm still kind of baffled that teachers get so weird when you disagree with the focus of their lessons. Isn't that the point of education? Learning how to think? I'm not sure, really. I just think it could've been a lot more fun if your teacher had engaged with you. Maybe you could have changed their mind if they'd let you. I think that would've been nicer.



kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

04 Nov 2022, 9:02 am

I commend you, actually, for being "bright before your time."

You just might be a poster-person for why there needs to be "education for the gifted." And why achievement should be encouraged, rather than discouraged, in the name of some sort of "equality." I'm not being sarcastic.

I wasn't bright like that. I tended to interpret things simply as a child----and I still do. This has held me back in life.

There is a certain irritation in me when somebody is "advanced in thinking"---but I must not let that stifle progress. If there were only "average" people back in the Caveman days, we would still be living in shelters of sticks and stones (or caves) today.



Aspie1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2005
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,749
Location: United States

20 Nov 2022, 1:24 pm

Lost_dragon wrote:
When asked about what I thought about the story, I said that I disliked it and that I wondered how the rainbow fish managed to remove its scales. I could suspend my disbelief enough to accept talking fish, but the scales puzzled me. Further, I asked if the rainbow fish would still be known as the rainbow fish since every fish now had a rainbow scale...so what did that make the rainbow fish? Would the rainbow fish now go by a different name? Could the rainbow fish feel a lack of identity now that the one physical identifier they had is no longer unique? Why did the other fish want a scale so badly when the impressive aspect of the scales was how they looked as a collective? Can it really be considered a change of heart if that change is brought about by social shame and being guilt-tripped? Why were the other fish such jerks to the rainbow fish, especially when considering that they offered nothing in return? Sure, they became the rainbow fish's friends again but only because they got what they wanted and is that really friendship? I ranted on about identity and how I could understand the claim of selfishness if the rainbow fish was hoarding food, but considering the fact that it was scales, the rainbow fish had every right to keep its scales because the rainbow fish keeping its scales was not harming anyone.
There's a website that parodies traditional stories, like "Rainbow Fish" or "Giving Tree", telling their readers that their messages are actually harmful, and instead teaching them mentally healthy alternatives. Like, the Rainbow Fish was taught to give praise to other fish instead of just giving them its scales, and the Boy was taught to give gratitude to the Giving Tree instead of just taking its parts.

https://www.topherpayne.com/rainbow-fish



peaceheartco
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 14 Dec 2022
Gender: Female
Posts: 7

14 Dec 2022, 1:16 pm

Thankfully, I never experienced this in school. I had very supportive, loving teachers who understood how much I wanted to learn and enjoyed learning. I think the other students would sometimes tire of my questions, but I usually ignored them because I knew there was nothing to be ashamed of in having questions. The worst experiences I have with asking too many questions came from employers.


_________________
"God is love."