Katiera Sordjan | A place for humility

The Melting Pot | Turning the classroom into a platform for self aggrandizement hinders our ability to learn from each other

By Katiera Sordjan 10/01/14 10:42pm

W e a ll know that one person in class who, with one comment or hand raise, has the power to make the entire room of students roll their eyes simultaneously. The one who constantly interrupts the lecture or discussion by interjecting their personal experiences that aren’t relevant, but seem to showcase something about that person’s achievements. I remember a music class where someone constantly brought up taking chorus in his private high school, or a student who always raised her hand in neuroscience to go off on a tangent on how she personally read up on the subject before taking the class.

There can be a tendency at Penn for students to feel a sort of inferiority complex when coming to campus. No longer are they one of the few high achievers of their school, but instead one fish in a big pond of talented and successful individuals. There is the secret fear that in such a large body of people, our unique strengths will be lost or outright dismissed. There can also be a wrongful judging of others, such as assuming students of color only get accepted because of affirmative action.

I found that, particularly as a lowerclassman, there was a constant need for people around me to prove their intellectual capabilities or successes. This can be more tolerable in a one-on-one conversation, but very distracting when it happens during class and does not add to the discussion in any way. As I find myself retaking more entry-level courses after returning from leave, I am still seeing this play out in the classroom.

This is not to say that students should not be passionate about their studies. Many smaller classes are very reliant on discussions and comments from the students. Even in large lectures, professors and instructors look to the students to ask and answer questions that will improve the learning experience for everyone. Sharing experiences makes for a much more lively and informed academic setting. We all have a lot to say and want to take advantage of our many opportunities to engage with others on class topics, especially when we are very interested in our courses.

However, there’s a difference between trying to contribute to class discussions and trying to overshadow other people’s experiences or knowledge or trying to prove that you “belong here.” When you sidetrack conversations to make yourself the center of attention, you imply that your own experiences are somehow more important or valuable than those of your classmates’.

Rather than spending our time ensuring that everyone knows our resume inside and out, we should be more receptive to others’ experiences and insights. We have the opportunity to truly make the most out of our education — and that includes allowing ourselves to learn from each other.

One of the most important lessons we can learn in college is humility. There are many things we have yet to know and do at this point in our careers. Being surrounded by people who had already met the president of the United States while I had yet to learn how to get to class on time definitely felt like a blow to my self-esteem. But I realized that the first step to getting where I wanted to be was to recognize where I was, which didn’t have to be a competitive measurement against others.

It is unfortunate when people take one of the times in their lives when they have the most potential for intellectual and personal growth and stifle it by being close-minded. Yes, we were all accepted to Penn because we were and are exceptional. But the mark of a truly wise person is one who accepts his own limitations and strives to learn from the environment around him.

As we progress through our studies at Penn, we should make an effort to be active rather than passive learners. Otherwise, dwelling on the successes of our pasts may hinder our potential for growth in th e fut ure.

Katiera Sordjan is a College junior from New York studying communications. Her email address is skati@sas.upenn.edu. “The Melting Pot” appears every Thursday.

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