WHY do we question teachers?

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As many of you know IMO looking back this was my one behavior fault with the Psychology teacher I later found out "The Psychology teacher didn't know how to answer your questions so she was avoiding you so she didn't have to answer your questions." From posting on WP I found out I wasn't the ONLY College student that did this but curious WHY we as Aspies do this? NT's are fine with the mundane textbook learning IMO perhaps it's the whole "special interest" wanting to learn as much as I can about Psychology (it was my special interest) but other students were Psychology majors and you don't see THEM questioning the teacher daily. So what is it with Aspies and questioning teachers? (I know not every Aspie does this so this is mainly for those like myself whom love/loved questioning there teachers.

I also constantly questioned teachers in high school and college. It was my way of showing interest in the subject and that I was paying attention. In some instances, I may have had trouble seeing boundaries and I may have been domineering. At other times, I had to ask a question RIGHT NOW because I didn't want to lose the thought and it was a way to stay focused.

My little nephew came home from his first day at preschool absolutely disgusted. His Mom asked why and he said, "The teacher held up some fake grapes and said, 'What's this?' If she doesn't know, she shouldn't be there."

It was the same right through school for him. Sometimes if he had a teacher that didn't know more than he did, he'd make a point of asking a relevant question just to see if the teacher knew the answer. I gave him my "History of the World" and he became the terror of history class.

I was (and am) *so* proud of him! I had the same thing with my teachers (a high school literature teacher who'd never heard of HG Wells?) but I just went into resentful silence.

I question people because I'm after more information.

I do it to stay engaged with the class, for one. I don't deal well with being talked at. I lose my attention. Seeing as I probably couldn't get away with drawing, knitting or sewing in class like I did in college now that I'm in law school, I have to keep myself focused somehow. It's no coincidence that the class that I can't for the life of me pay attention in is the one that the teacher seems to hardly notice that the students are there.

Also, if anything, my childhood taught me not to give authorities automatic respect just because they're authorities. I have no qualms about challenging a teacher or other person in a position of authority, either if I think they're being unclear or if they're flat-out wrong. It's pretty easy to tell the good ones from the bad ones by their response. Even the strict ones, if they're good, will have the decency to give an intelligent answer or admit they don't know.

Finally, sometimes it seems blatantly obvious that an aspect of a subject is not being covered. When I ask questions then, it's not so much out of a wanting to challenge authority feeling as it is not wanting to have a gaping hole in my knowledge.

How about teachers who are supposed to be teaching, say, math or history or something - and spend the whole time talking about themselves? *Why* do they feel entitled to waste my time that way?

Challenging the teacher and challenging the material are two entirely different things. Challenging the teacher involves a threat to his or her place as an instructor, and frequently calls into question their right to be instructing in the first place, or the need for the students to listen. Having taught a couple of classes, I have had to face this kind of student, and it effectively ruined what was otherwise a good semester for me, largely because I focused most of my emotional energy on dealing with his bad attitude. This sort of behavior is rude, and after that first experience, I have learned how to deal with it, both ruthlessly and effectively.

Challenging the material, on the other hand, is something all of the best teachers I've ever had encouraged, and is one of the traits I enjoyed most in my students. It indicates that not only are students engaged in the class, but they are actively grappling with the information and its implications, rather than mindlessly writing notes. If you do this, you will find questions the teacher cannot answer. The good ones will admit it, and offer to come back to class the next day with an answer. The bad ones will react as if you are challenging their authority as a means to hide their insecurity from not knowing the answer (or their laziness in not wishing to deal with the question at all).

Part of the problem may be that psychology is an immense field, and most researchers specialize in a fairly small part of it. This means they have a good general knowledge of their field, and expert knowledge of their chosen subfield. I am a sociologist, for example, and I focus mostly on the study of social stress, the stress process, and its consequences for physical and psychological well-being. As a result, my knowledge tends to be focused there. I can answer some questions outside of my field to a point, but I do not possess the same depth of knowledge in all areas of sociology. It's important to understand that a PhD is not solely about cramming as much information in one's head as possible, but also about teaching the individual how to seek and evaluate new information. Therefore, it would be unreasonable to expect a teacher to know all of the answers to all questions you can conjure during a 40-minute lecture period. On the other hand, it is perfectly reasonable to expect your professor to be able to either a) point you in the right direction to answer your own questions or b) know where to look in order to find the answer. That having been said, no scientific field has been fully studied, and so there are gaps in knowledge, and the best that can be offered are educated guesses and potential avenues by which the question may be investigated scientifically. Also keep in mind that your students may or may not be seen as inappropriate by the professor. Sometimes we need to keep a class moving in order to cover all the material we have planned in preparation for an assignment or test. In those cases, your professor may simply ask you to reserve your questions for after class or during office hours. This isn't a refutation of your questions, but rather an indication that your questions don't fall in line with the lesson plan for the day.


As for how I deal with students who challenge my authority, I do not allow it. I lay down certain ground rules in my class. One of those is a principle of basic respect. I expect students to respect my position as instructor, and they, in turn, receive my respect. I don't expect them to always accept what I say at face value, but I do expect them to back up their arguments, and reserve the right to disagree with them as well. This by itself tends to maintain some level of civility in the classroom. My students may choose to be respectful while in class, or he or she is always welcome to walk out the door. It's not an unreasonable condition, I think.

Wow Kraken thanks!! !! !! That makes since now. I guess I shouldn't expect you to know everything about your field. My Psychology teacher did a disseration and work on ADD so her area is there (and of course she teachers alot of Psychology courses) Adjustment,Development,General were all Psychology courses she taught so she probably as you said knew the basics of those to atleast teach the course. Perhaps if given a second chance I can redirect my questions from expecting you to know everything to How do I become a Psychologist specializing in X. Because as of now that's where I stand. and from my research I'm looking at books ranging from $60-$300 and also what a Psychologist CAN AND CAN'T study would be ideal questions. Focus more on the becoming Psychologist part and less on you should know 1,000 different things. Thanks again Kraken!! !!