High School Overeager-ness

So it's definitely been a while since I posted on this blog. Classes and such have really been taking over too much of my time. Instead of spilling out all my thoughts onto one post like last time, I think instead I'm going to focus on one thing that's been bothering me this summer - high school students.

There are definitely a lot of benefits that come with taking classes in the summer. Easy As, a closer setting so you can get to know your professor better, etc etc. Last session was actually pretty great and I had a ton of fun and learned a lot from both my classes. This session, however, is different. I can go on and elaborate on a list of cons that include having a paper a day to complete and having to endure a required intro class that I should've taken years ago, but I'm going to instead talk about the topic of overeager and annoying high school students in these classes. It's like they think the mere fact that they've been accepted to take classes at Penn makes them superior above all else and must show it to the world. These students, which take up an alarmingly large percentage of the population of my classes, are (1) overeager to a fault and raise their hands at every opportunity, (2) don't exactly have the foggiest clue what they're talking about half the time and (3) really think that they're the center of the world. Let me elaborate by giving a few examples of the wonderful experience I've had with high schoolers in these classes:

• During a simple Q&A section to see if we did the readings for the day, my Professor asks the class for the specific three points that the author stated in the article regarding a certain topic. Hands go up, and the three things are answered. Hands are still up. I kid you not. My professor announces that she has all her answers. Hands are still up. My bewildered Professor picks one of these hands and the high schooler gives a ridiculous answer. My Professor shakes her head in confusion.
• I'm going to assume everyone here knows what the Prisoner's Dilemma is. In explaining the problem, she makes everyone in the class state whether or not they would confess (and either risk a moderate punishment or no punishment at all - this option is the one that carries the best outcome) or stay silent (and either risk a high punishment or a low punishment). Also note that my Prof has clearly stated that this is a one shot deal. Half the class confesses, half the class stays silent. Alright, understandable as maybe they haven't heard of the Prisoner's Dilemma before. After my Professor explains it and says that confession will yield the best outcome, MORE people actually choose to stay silent, even though it's common knowledge that confession in this case will yield the best results. The problem here is that when told that they were putting themselves in a less advantageous position, they REJECTED THE GAME. Yes, they rejected the game and defended themselves by saying the stupidest things like 'I'll just simmer in prison and get revenge', or '...but confession isn't socially acceptable!'. They could NOT admit they were wrong.
• The most recent example of this was when we talked about nuclear deterrence. My Professor gave the usual spiel that deterrence is gained through the concept of mutually assured destruction, which rests on second strike capability. Fine. Then she asks whether the class believes that deterrence is sustainable. Someone raises the argument that irrational actors can destroy the system, and leads my Prof. into the legitimate discussion of afterlife rewards distracting the system a bit. Again, still legitimate. Unfortunately, the high schoolers then lead to a discussion of whether or not a SUICIDE STATE can occur, with the high schoolers thinking that IT COULD. They explicitly stated that it can happen with democratically voting to destroy the state by launching a nuclear weapon. One kid even said this: 'Islamic states are just wired that way. The afterlife reward is so great that EVERYONE in the state won't mind dying for a cause.' I don't know whether the kid is just ignorant, stupid, or alarmingly representative of the American blindspot towards the Muslim moderate majority.

These are only a sampling of what I have to put up with on a daily basis. These are just the instances that stick out the most. Every day my Professor would have to shut these kids up by saying 'OK, no more discussion or else we'll not finish the material.' Every day she would look very confused and have to find more and more obscure ways to not make these high schoolers feel bad.

It made me think - was I like that before college crushed my spirit?