Undergraduate / "Asking questions make you stupid" was a belief I always had, but I challenged it - COMMONAPP ESSAY [5]

Hi. Can anyone proofread my essay and see if it fits the #3 commonapp essay prompt? I believe my sentence structures aren't really good but this is my general reflect on what happened. I welcome any harsh critisism. Thank you :)

- Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 650 words

I sit at the last row of the classroom, squinting my eyes to get a better view of the whiteboard, trying my best to stay unnoticed while avoiding eye-contact with the teacher. I was afraid to give out my answers, more afraid to voice out my doubts. I never raised my hands up to ask questions; neither did I raise my hands to answer questions even though I was sure they were correct. In class, I would pay attention, take down copious notes, and study hard. At home, I would search up my questions on the net. If the solutions given are too complex, I would just memorise the answers without understanding them.

Living in the society where we're often judge for every action we do, the belief of "Asking questions means you're stupid" has been in my head ever since I was teased for questioning everything in primary school. Ever since, I felt a burden in my head for having so many doubts.

One day as I was class, Ms. Hui, my Biology teacher held me back. My heart went up my throat. Did I fail my semester exam? Or did she reject my year end thesis?

She held up my exam paper, asking me to explain what I've written. I panicked, as this was one of the answers that I memorised without knowing the concept. I was speechless as she told me everything she had observed.

"I realised you're always frowning in class, as if you don't understand what I'm teaching. Even though you've been doing well in exams, I would love your participation in class. Why don't you voice up your doubts in class?"

She explained to me how learning is a two way communication process through question and answer. She quoted Reina Reyes: "we ask questions not because they matter. We do it because it matters we ask questions" which caught my ears.

Even though I was quite sceptical about her reasoning, but I did not want to disappoint her, since Biology class was one of my favourite subjects. So I gave that thought a go. I decided to challenge this idea.

Ms. Hui promised to help me with it. Every class, she would deliberately pick me to ask a question on the sub topic she's teaching. She helped by guiding me with hints and points to stimulate my questioning skills whenever I contemplated if my classmates would laugh at my thinking. My confidence boosted as she would praise me for asking smart questions. As the semester progressed, I got comfortable with raising questions during lessons without Ms Hui prompting me, without worrying what others thought of me. I found lessons more interactive for me, as I was able to clear my thoughts on the spot, instead of spending hours scrambling through the websites, just to find answers that were too complex to understand. I even found myself participating in other classes. Whenever I had doubts while studying on my own, I'd pen them down and share them with my classmates. We would brainstorm together to come with a solution. Although I might be teased sometimes for coming up with weird questions, but I realised that at the end of the day, what other people think doesn't matter, as long as I'm able to learn and experience. Ever since, I wasn't afraid to voice out my daily uncertainties.

I wouldn't regret having this belief back then, because I see this as a stepping stone which helps me grow and mature. I'm thankful I've grown wiser. I always question the moment I'm confused. I ask questions to pre-empt problems and obstacles along the way - before they get worst. I learnt that asking question doesn't make you stupid. It means that you're attentive to details. It means that you're listening and taking your work seriously so that you won't leave any stones unturned. It means that you are humble, that you are aware that you don't know everything but are willing to learn as you grow.

I now live by the quote by Charles Proteus Steinmetz :"There are no foolish questions, and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions." Which motivates my curious mind to ask until I'm satisfied with my findings.