Inferior

In my junior year, I took physics. I don’t regret taking the class. It was one of the best classes I’ve taken in high school. However, it is usually a senior class. In my second semester when I was moved to a class with all seniors and no other juniors, I felt super inferior. Every time I asked a question I felt stupid or foolish, like I didn’t belong.

On this particular day I was really tired and my brain didn’t feel like doing its job. In class we were working with formulas we had already learned the semester before. So, in theory I shouldn’t have had a problem. Well that day theories were bogus, because I did. I was staring at my packet and I just couldn’t remember what the equation I needed to use looked like. My main problem was, I didn’t want to look stupid, so I just kept staring at my packet and flipping the pages. As our teacher was walking around, checking in with people, I felt so embarrassed. Every student who said they were all set, felt like a brick on my shoulder. After what felt like hours, he got to me, and asked how I was doing. Part of me wanted to say, “I’m doing good!” While the other part of me knew I needed help and wanted to ask a question. After a few seconds of having an internal battle with myself. I finally bit the bullet and asked for help. “What does the formula for initial speed look like?” I was waiting for the lecture, about how I should know this, but it never came. He told me it was alright, and to not overthink it. Which is something to do a lot. He told me to write down what I thought it was, so I did. Turns out I was pretty close, and just misplaced two letters. Though I had the right idea. After that I felt less stupid, and embarrassed.

Just because I needed help, doesn’t make me inferior to everyone else. Sometimes people just need help, like me and need to ask questions. That doesn’t make them foolish. It means that they know what they need to get done. They just need a little assistance to get there. That was the case for me. I ended up finishing the packet no problem.

Featured image: “physics” by Hash Milhan is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Additional image: “Math Formulas” by trindade.joao is licensed under CC BY 2.0.