A Fool For Five Minutes

Deafening silence gives me shudder. And so in a bid to break it, i had to say something, even at the risk of appearing stupid.

It always happens in my Econs lectures. When the lecturer asks if there is any question. Silence . If anyone agrees. Yes? Silence. No? Silence. Everyone is pretty much like dead logs. I really pity the lecturer sometimes, for at that moment, he must have felt uncomfortable at the idea of himself appearing like an idiot talking to himself. So in order to save his dignity, i usually say something, or nod my head understandingly. That is the worst u see, to be appearing the seemingly enthusiastic star pupil of the class. So i always get called. "The girl at the back,yes the one who nodded, u seem to know the answer. Can u tell the class then?" Great. Why does "kindness" always back-fire? Now he is looking at me almost pleadingly, as if to say:"Say something. Save me..." And so, I utter some words. And his eyes lit up, and he quickly catches on to the the life-saving cord i throw him:' Following what your friend here has said, we go to see that...."

There is always a dilemma here. I am always torn between the silence war between the tutor and the people in the class. It is fine when i answer once. Ok, she is responsive. When i answer twice, she is kinda smart. When i answer thrice, she is such a wannabe. So i always have to maintain an intricate balance of not making myself too starkly noticeable and branded as a limelight-seeker,a show-off but at the same time i really pity those poor old guys, who try almost everything to nudge all my fellow fossilised coursemates to give an answer, to the point of desperation that had they been requested to swallow a sword or to be thrown darts at just to get a response, they would.

It has been plaguing the classes for a long time. Silence.Oh well, to be fair to those who do speak up in class, sometimes it ain't so bad, but majority are still reluctant to open their mouths, as if by opening their mouths, they are opening the gateway to embarrassment. It seems that students here are so afraid to give the wrong answers for fear that that would make them appearing like fools. But as the saying goes, I 'd rather to be a fool for five minutes, than to be a fool forever. Learning takes the biggest leap when one questions,when at the same time, ponder solutions to those questions. And so it goes, me being a fool for many five minutes in different classes.

But i don't mind really, for i know had it not been so, I would have been a far greater fool than one that of me today.