The Courage of Asking Questions

THE COURAGE OF ASKING QUESTIONS
Asking questions is a good thing if it is within the limits of ethics and morality. Many students, especially Pakistani students, feel fear when asking questions. Why do they have this fear if they are not doing something bad? There are multiple reasons, and I will not solely criticize the behavior of bad teachers towards students who make them uncomfortable when asking questions. There are also other reasons.

Suppose a student is studying in a co-education environment where both boys and girls participate. Some students feel fear when asking questions, thinking, "What if girls notice me due to my question?" or "What if girls think I'm stupid or a less well-informed student who is unable to understand the concept?" This fear is mutual.

SOME OTHER REASONS

How do other reasons make students fear asking questions?
The logic is simple: they fear asking questions because of thoughts like:
- "What if I make a mistake during asking the question?"
- "What if someone observes me during asking the question?"
- "What if someone doesn't like my tone?" (This is often the case for students from villages or those with a strong native accent.)
- "What if the teacher makes fun of me if my question isn't qualitative?"
- "What if the teacher says, 'It's a common sense thing'?"
- "What if the teacher doesn't like my question because he never like students who question?"
These ironic questions arise in the minds of students (poor minded) before asking questions.

HOW DO TOPPERS AND OTHER GOOD STUDENTS OVERCOME FEAR?

How do top students and others overcome this fear? I'm not a top student, but as an average student, I can share how I've developed the courage to ask questions. I don't think about stupid thoughts of fear before asking questions. I don't think of teachers as supernatural beings that if they disrespected me, imma gonna lose everything. I respect teachers and make a good impression on them (especially the good ones). I ask questions when needed and don't fear asking even if a teacher disrespects me.

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM MY ATTITUDE?

You can learn from my attitude that asking questions is more important than maintaining a positive image. This will help you greatly in your studies. If a teacher teaches you a lesson and you don't understand it, ask questions where you're confused.

ROLE OF BAD TEACHERS

Bad teachers play the role of villains. They follow the quote, "If you can't convince them, confuse them." Most of the time, when bad teachers are asked questions, they provide false information (pseudoscience). Sometimes they blackmail students who ask questions, saying, "I'll deduct marks from your practicals." Bad teachers use these tactics to manipulate students.

WHAT IF A TEACHER DOES NOT KNOW THE ANSWER?

If a teacher doesn't know the answer to a question, he should say, "I don't know; I'll tell you tomorrow after verifying." It's that simple. However, no teacher (good or bad) says this when they don't know the answer. In my entire academic journey, only one teacher said this when I asked him a question. It's okay to not know the answer, but it's not okay to provide false information, which can lead students astray.

Asking questions boosts the critical thinking of a person, and it is an important skill.