Are you ever aggravated about questions?

I should be ashamed of myself, but I often get aggravated. There are a myriad of reasons.

Questions sometimes rank up there with small talk as a pet peeve of mine.

I’ll start with the world of teaching. You knew I’d go there, right? Teachers go to great pains, sometimes, to be proactive before opening up the class for questions. Teachers write out directions, post things on the smartboard or the dry erase board (we don’t have chalkboards anymore; did you know?). Teachers try to keep directions to a minimum and often repeat instructions at least three times. Many times, teachers have students repeat the directions back to them and advise them to ask a neighbor if they forget a step.

After preparing the class, teachers think “Surely there won’t be any questions.”

But there always are.

I had a student who used to raise his hand and say “You probably already told us this, but I actually have two questions.” It got to be a comical thing. Usually, I had already answered both the questions, and many times, he was just double checking.

Good thing I had a high tolerance and patience. But heck, there was still aggravation.

Adults are worse. I would much rather lead a group of 11-year-olds in a project than a group of adults. Adult ADHD runs rampant these days, and I still contend ADHD is overdiagnosed.  Many people just want to do their own thing and only listen when something directly affects them.  

Shoot, if you are a fairly good listener and can actually read directions these days, you are head and shoulders above everyone else.

If you re-read and check over your work, you are valedictorian or president of the company.

Then there is the group of people who ask questions like “Did you turn on the power?” or “Did you plug it in?” or “Where did you have it last?”

Now, why are we aggravated at these questions?  How many of us did all the things we thought we needed to do, but really did forget to plug something in or punch the power button? How many of us have found the thing that we lost because we settled down and actually thought “Where did I see it last?”  

Settling down, focusing and thinking is key. Then, you can find your keys.

You have judgmental questioners too, though.  

Recently, our town experienced a rash of car break-ins and a car theft.  Communities in the area experience this from time to time – especially small towns where citizens think they live in Mayberry.  

Some people, hearing of break-ins or thefts, like to ask questions like “Was your car locked?”  or “Did you leave your keys in your car?”

I often wonder why people ask these questions.  

The car was broken into.  The car was stolen. If it was unlocked or the keys were in it, it was a careless mistake. This has been acknowledged. So, why are we asking these questions?

I once knew a person who was perhaps one of the most gossipy people I’d ever met. This person had it down to a fine art. She would fashion a question into more of a statement, and before you knew it, you had spilled your guts or provided information you weren’t supposed to share.  

The last time I spoke to this person, she was still going strong. As I said, a true artist.

Benjamin Franklin, according to his contemporaries, could continue asking questions until he won an argument, never putting the other person on the defensive.  

Socrates used questions to lead his learners in discussion and to get his objectives across. The Socratic method of teaching is tried and true, a teaching style of old that still works very well today.

So, questions are useful.  

They still aggravate me, though.