I Thought I Knew… And I Didn’t

Gifty Atanga, Staff Writer

Have you ever had a test you knew you HAD to study for? I’m talking about one of those potentially grade dropping, cry-inducing, makes-me-want-to-scream type of tests. Well, I just had one, and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. But you know what they say, every failure is an opportunity to grow (insert rainbows, motivational music, and an impossibly happy happy face here). Well, I’m taking this painful experience to talk to you humans of HMSA and do what I do best: rant. Get comfy, because this is going to take a while.

 

Somewhere along the line of communication is a disconnect. By that, I mean my teachers thought I knew A LOT more than I actually knew.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m smart, but I’m not walking encyclopedia type smart. And this can be the result of a variety of factors. For one, teachers tackle topics on a completely different basis than us students. Maybe it’s because they went to college, who knows? However, there’s a gap, and unfortunately, I fear that it’s widening.

 

Yes, there’s a certain level of expectation that we’re required to meet, but when does the expectation exceed what we can actually perform? How can we tell teachers “Hey, this is too much” without coming off as a typical gen z (or gen x, can’t forget about them) student?

 

As my four years of high school come to a close, I’ve realized that the answer to this question is to be totally and completely honest. If you can’t do something, say it. If that test made you cry, then talk about it. Our teachers have office hours for a reason, you should check them out. As someone who spends A LOT of time with a teacher outside of school, I can vouch that they’re humans too; they get it.

 

I can’t promise they’ll make everything easier, but they will definitely listen to what you have to say. So get it out: cry, rant, scream, but after all of that, just talk.