Whether it’s school, college or university, people who don’t like speaking up in class find it a nightmare to get through a single lecture without being picked on. Choosing not to participate in class could be for various reasons; you may be too shy to speak, you may not want to interact with specific teachers, or you may be unsure of the responses you’ll end up giving. So just to be safe, you avoid speaking up at all. However, dodging your teacher’s eye and avoiding the limelight each time, can be quite a task on its own.
Here are some things that people who don’t like speaking up in class experience:
1. Sitting next to someone who TALKS A LOT so that the teacher doesn’t pay attention to you.
This really works because the moment your teacher glances at you, your partner steals the spotlight. Way to go, partner!
2. Sneaking away to the bathroom the moment you sense a class discussion approach.
Now mate, your senses have got to be sharp if you wanna do this, and you’ve gotta be as subtle as evverrrr! Never let the teacher know what’s cooking in your head!
3. Constantly feeling weighed down by the burden of marks for class participation.
If you study in one of those institutions that give special marks for class participation, my condolences are with you. Qismat ka khel hai, you’ll never be able to score that 5/5 on class participation!
4. Choosing a corner or back bench to sit on.
Before seating plans were a thing, we could easily squish ourselves in corner or back benches. Phir board nazar aye na aye, anything to avoid the limelight.
*Squint squint*
5. ACTUALLY, front benches are more practical to avoid attention.
Let’s apply some reverse psychology here. Generally, the smart, nerdy kids sit right in the front. And the teacher mostly wants to grill the not-so-smart ones. So the teacher will automatically glance towards the middle or back of the room. See, you’ve gotta think deep about this stuff!
6. ‘Your child doesn’t speak in class’
If you’ve been one of the shy, quiet ones since childhood, then you and your parents have surely heard this at every parent-teacher meeting bachpan se.
7. Not making eye contact with the teacher on purpose.
This is the MOST effective tactic that can be used. Try it out and you’ll thank me!
8. Desperately waiting for someone in the class to respond so that you can be safe.
The ongoing silence between when the teacher asks a question and somebody responds to them, feels heavy as hell. Koi tou jawaab de do!
9. Keeping a blank expression on your face.
One’s got to be very careful with this one. Your blank expression can’t look dumb, because then the teacher’s wrath will be upon you. So very cleverly, just look blankly ahead. Confuse the teacher.
10. Staring down at your book REALLY hard.
Again, make it look like you’re really into the topic.
11. NEVER act like you’re daydreaming in class.
Teachers hate people who daydream! So you know what not to do.
12. ‘Oh. So you actually speak?’
When you hold a normal conversation outside the classroom, everyone starts commenting on your introvert-ish qualities. Well, everyone who doesn’t speak in class doesn’t have to be an introvert, just FYI.
13. You automatically love the teachers who don’t pick on random students to answer questions.
Those teachers are the real MVPs. May we all be blessed enough to have them.
14. Reading aloud is not a problem though!
If your teacher has a habit of making people read aloud, you’re probably comfortable with that, because the real fear lies in answering questions. Reading ain’t no big deal!
15. Nodding at everything the teacher says.
There you go. Make sure you look like you’re grasping everything that is being taught. But don’t nod too hard, you don’t want the teacher to start asking for your opinion!
Be it because of shyness or a lack of knowledge on the topic being discussed, make sure you don’t make your silence obvious! If you’re somebody who doesn’t like participating in class or know someone who doesn’t, please share your experiences with us in the comments section below.
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Cover image via The Vision Factory Films