Blog - /Personal

For the first time I can recall, a point that I brought up in class made it to the website of the professor of a class. I noticed that a certain problem wasn't solvable by the methods given in class, and I used a proof by contradiction of sorts to show this. I brought up the idea that I should receive full credit for such an answer. I must have done so in an unpleasant manner, though, since the prof's initial reaction was to defend his work (he did make the textbook, after all). On today's assignment, he apologized and said that he would give full credit to my answer after all. I can respect a professor that is able to handle correction, even if the correction is handled belatedly.

That made me wonder about my involvement in other classes as well. In CS 483, I try (perhaps) a bit too hard to be witty or make some sort of unexpected contribution in an attempt to make the lecture meaningful for me. We'll see how well this method (as opposed to note-taking, which pains my hands) works for the upcoming midterm. I feel good about my participation in CS 354, because I can sometimes anticipate future topics or provide intuition, and the professor is good at rewarding this sort of contribution.

To some extent, I think I might still be in the throes of ADD. I can control it when I need to most of the time, but it isn't natural and takes effort. It especially comes out in settings that limit my range of expression, such as the classroom. I definitely do not want to take any sort of medication for it, however — I feel that it gives me some distinction and even an advantage in certain settings that require different approaches than rote footstep-following.