Blog Post by Alina Arellano, Class of 2020

Many people underestimate the power of asking questions. They let the fear of looking dumb get in the way of their success. This is the reason why many kids are very afraid to use their voice and speak up. I would know from personal experience. For example, I used to hate asking questions because I feared people would laugh at me because they knew the answer and I didn’t. However, I later realized that asking questions was for my own benefit and not theirs ,and it didn’t matter what they had to say. After my realization, I began asking the questions I needed in order to better understand what I was learning. Asking questions assists with clarification and comprehension. If you do not understand what’s going on in class, then may ask either your partner or teacher for help. Another important thing to note is that you have to ask an effective question and not one that is obvious. If a concept is not clear then you can ask for further explanation or ask them to explain with different diction. You don’t want to ask questions that you already know the answer to. Using this skill will help better your confidence and help with your class.