<p>I always feel like one of the greatest barriers to me succeeding is my insurmountable fear of being seen as stupid. </p>
<p>I care too much about how others perceive me, and I think that's been crippling all these years.
I was able to get through my sophomore and freshman years without need any help, and now that I'm encountering more difficult coursework, I feel stupid that I don't get it right away.
I feel stupid when I ask questions, so I end up just staying silent and not understanding the concepts.</p>
<p>I'm taking AP Physics B over the summer and I feel stupid that I don't understand how to derive equations and I have enormous difficulty doing so, especially when so many people on CC say it's one of the easiest AP classes with some of the easiest mathematical concepts to cover.
I'm afraid to ask how to do these things, especially since other people seem to grasp it so easily.</p>
<p>I don't know. How do you get over this?</p>
<p>I was like that my freshman and sophomore years. As I got older, I realized that I don’t really give a crap and so I just started talking and asking. The only way to stop hesitating is by doing. I’m not a smart kid, I have to work very hard and I don’t understand everything on the first go, and asking questions really helps. Trust me, you’re not the only one who doesn’t speak up. You’ll be surprised how many people are struggling because they don’t understand something. You will look like the brave one who took that initiative to better understand.</p>
<p>Remember, you can’t understand everything so don’t have that mindset. Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean you are stupid. You are in charge of your own education. No teacher or no parent can tell you to learn in a certain way. To make you feel better, I remember in chemistry class sophomore year while everyone else was excelling I was always two steps behind everyone else. I couldn’t even balance equations or convert units lol. I asked questions after class and during class, stayed after school and took home practice quizzes and practice tests. I managed to get a A I think and then decided to do the impossible and take AP chemistry junior year. Crazy right? In AP chemistry, shiz got real lol. I was still the runt of the litter, so I took part in the class discussions, lectures and ask a TONS OF QUESTIONS. Thanks to this, I managed to pull an A second semester and have an overall grade of a B. Also, don’t worry about the people on this website, I couldn’t care less about the people on here to be honest. Don’t let the words of others get to you, really. :)</p>
<p>I’m the same exact way, I can completely relate. If I don’t think I can raise my hand in class, I always seek the teacher out privately, after school or after class so I can understand. Every time, my teachers are willing to spend time making sure you understand. Chances are, teachers understand that their job is to TEACH and they’ll help.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t just leave if you don’t get the concepts at all, though! Making sure you know your stuff is top priority, no matter how much you’re scared of what others think.</p>
<p>Also, while you could sit in class day by day without saying anything, communication and speaking is one of the key skills you’ll need as you move onto college and eventually a career. I tried to get over my anxiety in class by first answering the easy problems I knew I understood, to show that I wasn’t a basket case at least. Then after I got used to that, I slowly began participating in class discussions and asking questions. It’s difficult, I know, but it’s worth it in so many different ways. Not only in class but just confidence in general.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, you aren’t alone. I’m sure that at least another person in your class is in the same position as you and is scared to ask questions as well. The best, direct advice I would give you is to speak up, even if your question is the most basic thing. Who knows, maybe someone else is wondering the same thing and I’m sure a small review for the rest of the class won’t hurt.</p>
<p>I know just saying “don’t care what others think” is something really hard to do. But just keep in mind that your classmates are just temporary, even if they find some reason to think you’re stupid they’ll be gone in a flash and you’ll meet new people at every stage of your life.</p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Here is something I heard a couple of weeks ago that makes a lot of sense:</p>
<p>“When I was young, through my 20s, I cared what other people thought of me. Then in my 30s, I decided I didn’t care what they thought. In my 40s, I finally realized that NOBODY IS THINKING ABOUT ME!” It is more true than you know! Everyone is so worried about themselves, that they really don’t spend their time criticizing you!</p>
<p>I always ask questions and when people talk to me or say I’m stupid it results in fights. Idk if asking questions is a good idea</p>
<p>Realize that no one thinks you’re stupid because no one’s thinking about you.
I mean, do you sit around thinking about how stupid someone is after they ask a question?</p>
<p>Edit: I typed that out before I read MaineLonghorn’s comment, but yeah…basically, I agree with that.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice! I didn’t expect to find such great responses here.</p>
<p>Do you guys ever deal with teachers who unnecessarily make you feel stupid?
Those sort of teachers make it honestly incredibly difficult to ask questions…</p>
<p>NO. AP PHYSICS B IS DIFFICULT. IT RUINED MY LIFE.
Ok, gonna go off caps now. Seriously though, it’s common for people to find physics difficult. To date, physics has been the only subject that has given me trouble 
So don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you feel that scared, then maybe talk to the teacher alone.</p>
<p>And to answer your question, yes. I’m normally outgoing, but when it comes to questions I have to think of exactly what I’m gonna say before I speak. The bad thing is, teachers/people can tell when I have a question because I just look really confused and like I wanna say something. So they ask “vivendium, do you have a question?” lol.</p>