Have you ever blatantly disagreed with a teacher during class?

[dreamoftheunknown]

Major theoretical breakthroughs happen disproportionately in youth.

Oh brother... Don't even get me started.

Instead of getting chances at that as early as possible, I have to put up with AP physics teachers not even knowing what a non-inertial reference frame is.

It's not even a calc-based physics class - that's not offered, and the teacher wouldn't let me independent-study it because he didn't think I could handle it. I took calc in sophomore year, FFS. Next week I'm going to revisit that issue with him, since I hope it's now clear I can handle it, even if not for credit.

Doesn't matter. Your college physics professors would probably make you retake it, anyway.

 

[Magnetosphere]

Oh God, yes. All the time, and I can't say that I was very nice about it. Not only did I "blatantly disagree" with teachers, I integrated extreme amounts of sarcasm into my speeches that would be sparked off by some inane or silly comment on behalf of the educator.

Haha, it's actually kind of funny. Most of my teachers ended up liking me a lot, even if I didn't do the homework in their classes and frequently criticized them. Seems as if most people prefer an original thinker to a teacher's pet or automaton.

I did the same thing with other students, too. If somebody made a comment or stated an opinion that I felt to be fundamentally flawed, I'd have no problem stating my feelings. Most people would give up rather than experience the humiliation of being forced to debate me.

I'm not bragging, that's just the truth. Most people are so slow, which is why I always get so attached to my more intelligent friends.

 

[Sforza]

I used to disagree with teachers when I was younger, and I feel bad right now because I did it without trying to understand why they were doing what they were, or what the reasoning behind their actions were. My course in college was highly theoretical (political economy) so there was a lot of interesting debate. Right now, I probably would have given similar opinions, but I would think about things more before saying it tactlessly. I would have been nicer about it too and would try to time my questions better.

In terms of MBTI, it might have been because my Fe is non-existent and my Fi is signicantly higher, though I definitely use Ti-Ne as Primary Secondary and identify with INTPs.

 

[snafupants]

not usually because that would have drawn negative attention/suspicion to myself. as early as third grade, there was extensive cheating in the classroom. even then, respect for the educational system was hard to muster.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I used to let loose all the time in my 12th grade English class. I just felt so much more intelligent than everyone else that I got an ego boost and started to extrovert my thoughts. Insulted or not, the teacher definitely was intrigued at my audacious behavior. With the pressure of other students I persuaded him to lighten up and change some of his teaching methods. As much as I disliked him for being one of those tight-assed jerks, I liked the fact that he could keep up. It was amusing because I was the student with the worst performance yet I showed the greatest intellect.

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

In grade school if there were an in-class discussion going on and maybe a problem posed, I would normally just finish solving the problem early and then stare around the room at the students still working. I remember there once being a numbers/percentage question asked in Econ and the instructor told me out loud (while oddly winking at me) that my answer was wrong. I was certain that it wasn't and that he was just trying to get me to shut up and wait for other people to finish. That was the case.

 

[AnExperimentalTom]

I've disagreed with teachers numerous times. I once outright told my teacher they were wrong in what they were teaching in front of the entire class during his lecture - got sent out for that one though.

I never seen it as a big issue. Teachers in my mind are infallible - in fact most of them probably became teachers because they could make it in their chosen fields (not all). I apologise if this offends anyone here, but I hold a fairly low opinion of most teachers after having a lot of ignorant and downright stupid teachers.

Example of stupid teacher I've had: I.T. teacher could figure out why an unplugged computer wasn't turning on. I mean seriously, what the hell?

A lot of the teachers in the area I grew up are very stupid and ignorant on a lot of things.

However, if they are good teachers then surely student's disagreeing with them wouldn't be seen as bad - so long as the student is trying to correct an error in their information, and as long as its done respecfuly.

 

[birdsnestfern]

Hell yes.
I was sent to the principals office for refusing to say the pledge of allegiance to the flag in typing class in 8th grade. (I have since learned to appreciate it, but at the time, I did not want to be forced into putting my hand on my heart and reciting something I could care less about).

And, a real prick of an economics teacher in the South was bragging that his brothers farm was growing genetically modified corn and how he didn't care what effect it had on people, they were getting rich off of it. And, same teacher bragging about mistreatment of women in arabia, etc. Real jerk of a guy. I ended up reporting him to the school board. He had to sit in a board meeting and explain himself.

And, the president of a local college, I complained about no air conditioning in the gym in the Summer in 110 degree heat and students couldn't tolerate that. I said I'd ask OSHA to investigate. She ended up putting in a huge AC system within two months of that, but said, 'Do you always complain about things you don't like?' lol, I guess Southerners don't.

And, for my sons elementary teacher, she made kids sit in the back next to blaring opera music and expected them to hear her over that. And another one I witnessed her making kids swallow gum because they were in an auditorium and she wouldn't let them spit it out, so the gum sits in their gut for years, yes, teachers can be idiots.

 

[ZenRaiden]

teachers can be idiots.

I agree. But teachers are often in position where being idiot is easy to see, so it can be pretty stressful being a teacher, but the things you named were really good disagreements worth a fight.

I rarely disagreed with teachers. I was class clown and ignored studies and hated school. I learned more at home that the sum of years I spend in school, and I don't regret it.
I daydreamed a lot and never gave a damn about the institution.
At times I wanted to study and was embarrassed to not know something, but was more about imagination than paying attention.
I disagreed blatantly once and I was wrong even, because the words did not make sense to me. She was a nice teacher.

I am not afraid of disagreeing with people if I know they are smart enough to understand me or if they can point out that I am the one who is wrong.
I never interpret disagreements as attacks, but I learned that most people take em personally all the way sometimes. I fear such people.

 

[Hourglass]

I’ve observed a student with a Masters in a certain subject disagree and debate with someone teaching who also had a masters in the same subject… The student was very intelligent and very opinionated but for the class it was hard to know who was right or wrong. In the moment the student just seemed like they were was being rude but in later classes the teacher talked up the student who originally expresses that there was a better way to do something, so the student was right but they had to bear some shame from being ignored by the class and even dismissed by the teacher for a period of time until the teacher realized the student was right.

The environment and teacher have to really welcome disagreement for disagreement or discussion or constructive debate to persist, otherwise the class is too authoritarian.

I personally dislike the feeling of debating but people think I am when I’m just making a statement.

If i say something it is because I am trying to help someone see something that they aren’t seeing, not to hurt their feelings, but inevitably humans are a lot more emotional than we like to think and we all take things more personally than we should, because we get attached to our ideas.

Intelligent people can detach from their ideas and beliefs and welcome new thinking.

Intelligent people can also be very attached to their ideas and beliefs and stuck to a certain way of thinking.

So I think we have to remind ourselves about detachment of our ideas from our identities when it makes appropriate sense.

The thing with disagreeing with a teacher is that you’re also sending signals to the whole class. So if the class is in agreement with you it feels more ok to say it because you might have support.

But if a point you’re making is so unique that no one else can agree because they can’t understand this is where I believe institutions need to encourage smart people to speak up and be unafraid of having a different thing to say because it is bold and no one in the room will add supportive feelings to what you say, but you’ll end up pushing through in order for “truth” and “intelligence” to prevail.

The sad thing is some teachers will give you a bad grade for disagreeing with them or they might reward you with a better grade for agreeing, so sometimes teaching can feel like following your own teacher’s religion, and then people who think very differently might be unsatisfied by standardized learning curriculums, and refuse to follow the educational “religion” just to get better grades.

Or, worse, what happens today is people try to agree as much as they can with a teacher without really thinking through what is being absorbed and then good grades can be correlated with how good you are at “following rules”.

However there can be people who get their different point across to the teacher without offending them, though there is really an art to that.