Doing a disservice by not speaking out in class? Forum

[LAWYER2]

I'm usually one of those people who goes to class to get what I need done and get out. I do not offer up my personal insight, opinion, or take on matters not unlike many of my classmates. Having done so, I noticed that we hear the same people's point of view continuously! Frankly, I'm tired of hearing the sound of some of these folks voice! My question is, do you think we're doing ourselves and maybe even our class a disservice by not being more vocal and allowing the same opinions to heard over and over?

[20160810]

Yes. You're absolutely doing your classmates a disservice by not sharing your opinions in class. I recommend raising your hand immediately, offering them a frank apology expressing your regret, and then sharing your opinions regularly for the rest of law school, whether those opinions are solicited or not. They'll thank you for this.

[waxecstatic]

Without a question you're doing your classmates a disservice. They're dying to know your opinion on everything even if they don't seem to express that. Raise your hand, and don't ever let your hand lower even a fraction, for the fate of classroom discussion and the university's ability to enrich young minds rests in your arm.

[LAWYER2]

lol, I knew this was coming. But seriously, I'm really tired of hearing from the same 3 people every single class period, and if flapping my own gums is the only alternative, then so be it!

[jd20132013]

dude if you want to talk in class then talk in class
you don't have to justify yourself through this crazy logic

[Lil Kev]

I always go into class looking forward to hearing the wonderful ideas of my peers.

[dood]

dude if you want to talk in class then talk in class
you don't have to justify yourself through this crazy logic

Lol seriously

[traehekat]

I always go into class looking forward to hearing the wonderful ideas of my peers.

[Lil Kev]

I always go into class looking forward to hearing the wonderful ideas of my peers.

Why bother having a professor when the wonderful minds of law students can speak out with such eloquence and majesty? 20-somethings have so much wisdom and insight into modern day law.

[dixiecupdrinking]

As a general rule, if you're even taking time to consider whether you should be talking in class, then your contributions will be an improvement over most class discussion.

[johansantana21]

Unless you are the professor, you will never do anybody a disservice by not speaking out in class.

[Lawl Shcool]

I disagree with the general TLS sentiment about talking in class - you're paying (a lot) to be there and if you want to talk you should have at it. By no means do I enjoy students who talk all class in every class, but if you have a question you should ask it and not feel weird about doing so.

[JoeFish]

It is SO ANNOYING when the professor asks a question like "So, in this case, is it X or is it Y?" and someone raises their hand and says "I think that if the facts were like this and such and such then we'd still need to know blah blah blah and I don't think the law concerning X is well written and it's up to the legislature to figure this out and when I wrote my undergraduate research thesis on Y I found that..."

So, do not be afraid to share your opinion. BUT IF THE PROFESSOR ASKS A QUESTION, ANSWER IT.

Nothing wrong with speaking up but, as dirty as it makes me feel, I agree with johansantana21. Maybe, maybe, you're doing yourself a disservice if you would "engage with the material" or whatever better by talking a lot. But no one else freaking cares if you talk or not. They won't mind if you do, they won't mind if you don't.

/rant

[Lil Kev]

I disagree with the general TLS sentiment about talking in class - you're paying (a lot) to be there and if you want to talk you should have at it. By no means do I enjoy students who talk all class in every class, but if you have a question you should ask it and not feel weird about doing so.

Oh, I agree. Talk in class, but don't talk every class. If people begin groaning when you raise your hand, you're doing it wrong. Or right.

[BlueDiamond]

I always go into class looking forward to hearing the wonderful ideas of my peers.

Why bother having a professor when the wonderful minds of law students can speak out with such eloquence and majesty? 20-somethings have so much wisdom and insight into modern day law.

from my experience law professors don't really have any insights on modern day law either - they talk in theories, policies, and concepts - writing law review articles that nobody pays attention to because what they have to say is irrelevant to modern day law

u mad? yes.. i is

[bceagles182]

It depends.

A) For questions that can be answered objectively:

If you are near the top of your class, you should raise your hand to answer questions to avoid awkward silence/someone stupid getting coldcalled and wasting everyone's time. If you are not, your silence is appreciated.

B) For policy/opinion questions without an objective answer:

Nobody cares what you have to say regardless.

Edited to add:

If you have a question, you are probably better off asking it in office hours.

If it's a stupid question, you're wasting everyone's time.

If it's a good question, you're 1) hurting the curve and 2) going to get a shorter response than you would in office hours anyway.

[20160810]

It depends.

A) For questions that can be answered objectively:

If you are near the top of your class, you should raise your hand to answer questions to avoid awkward silence/someone stupid getting coldcalled and wasting everyone's time. If you are not, your silence is appreciated.

B) For policy/opinion questions without an objective answer:

Nobody cares what you have to say regardless.

Edited to add:

If you have a question, you are probably better off asking it in office hours.

If it's a stupid question, you're wasting everyone's time.

If it's a good question, you're 1) hurting the curve and 2) going to get a shorter response than you would in office hours anyway.

Wut?

[waxecstatic]

It depends.

A) For questions that can be answered objectively:

If you are near the top of your class, you should raise your hand to answer questions to avoid awkward silence/someone stupid getting coldcalled and wasting everyone's time. If you are not, your silence is appreciated.

B) For policy/opinion questions without an objective answer:

Nobody cares what you have to say regardless.

Edited to add:

If you have a question, you are probably better off asking it in office hours.

If it's a stupid question, you're wasting everyone's time.

If it's a good question, you're 1) hurting the curve and 2) going to get a shorter response than you would in office hours anyway.

It does not depend. You wanna raise your hand, raise your hand. If it's a stupid question, it might fall back on you, but if it bothers other people, they can go take the stick out of their ass. You're paying 40K+ a year to be there, or at least that's the cost of the tuition, so if you have a question, ask it. If you have a comment, make it. In the grand scheme of things, it is not a big deal.

[LAWYER2]

If it's a good question, you're 1) hurting the curve and 2) going to get a shorter response than you would in office hours anyway.

I've actually refrained from asking procedural exam questions for fear of "hurting the curve," lol.

[shepdawg]

I've heard at around four lawyers express regret for not participating in class discussions when they were in law school. I'm of the opinion, that if you learn best by being an active participant then you should ask questions. You're paying a lot of money to sit in the class, and your learning is all you should care about.

However, there is a wrong way of speaking in class. Example: There is a student at my school who blatantly calls professors stupid and walks to the front of the class to explain his points without prompting (diagrams on the white board included, because he thinks other students cannot understand his brilliant ideas). I am baffled why professors still call on him when he raises his hand.

[JoeFish]

There is a student at my school who blatantly calls professors stupid and walks to the front of the class to explain his points without prompting (diagrams on the white board included, because he thinks other students cannot understand his brilliant ideas).

... seriously? Umm... that is when, as a professor, I would lash out physically. Damn, I really really hope they don't construe that as positive class participation.

Every time he does that, raise your hand, wait until he calls on you, or looks at you, or takes a break from talking, and then recite the first article of the constitution, pausing for dramatic effect. Or walk to the chalkboard right after him and draw a freeform chalk picture of Justice Cardozo or something.

[Lil Kev]

I've heard at around four lawyers express regret for not participating in class discussions when they were in law school. I'm of the opinion, that if you learn best by being an active participant then you should ask questions. You're paying a lot of money to sit in the class, and your learning is all you should care about.

However, there is a wrong way of speaking in class. Example: There is a student at my school who blatantly calls professors stupid and walks to the front of the class to explain his points without prompting (diagrams on the white board included, because he thinks other students cannot understand his brilliant ideas). I am baffled why professors still call on him when he raises his hand.

I want a video of this before I can believe it.