[Redway]

On the topic of quietude, I wish teachers weren’t so ambivalent towards it. The ideal student in this part of the world (whereas America has a more extraverted ideal) is someone who’s relatively quiet along with being docile (in a good way) and conscientious but teachers often yearn for some of these students to be a bit more active in class participation. I completely understand why they say that but while you’re being quietly conscientious, observing and paying attention it’s hard to be chit-chatting back to the teacher over every little thing any always raising your hand. But then I guess if you don’t do that at all people won’t know how smart you are and underestimate your capabilities up against the resident maths genius who everyone just assumes is better at English than you because they say a bit more in class. There was a girl like that in my head and to this day it really pisses me off that most people had no idea how smart she actually was. She was outspoken enough anywhere outside the classroom but within those particular four walks she literally never said a word. But at the end of the day what isn’t orally spoken is often very passionately expressed in writing and that’s what a lot of people don’t understand.