Student Who Still Doesn’t Understand TA’s Third Explanation Smiles and Nods

Some students just can’t be helped.

Michael Hitchens (C ‘21) was struggling with his Math 114 homework and decided to pop in to his TA’s office hours for some help. After he sat down, however, he realized something was wrong.

“I really had no idea what she was talking about,” explained Hitchens. "I was following along for a few seconds, but then I thought about this girl Kathy from my Chemistry recitation who hasn’t texted me back about a date night. She might think I’m too clingy. I probably screwed that up with my poor messaging game.”

Hitchens asked if the TA would explain it again, only to clarify a few bits and pieces.

“The second time, I was trying to follow along, but I was just reading the words on the page. Like, I could see all the words that were there—I just didn’t comprehend anything. I haven’t been to lecture in a few weeks because I was relying on Khan Academy for most of the concepts, but I’ve just been swamped with work and my extracurriculars. I ended up just smiling and nodding, and pretended like I understood her explanation.”

The responsible TA then asked Hitchens if he could explain the problem back to her to demonstrate his full comprehension of the concepts. Hitchens recalls panicking and playing dumb.

“Honestly, it’s a great strategy. They never see it coming, and you can use it to get out of almost anything. I kind of just laughed along with her until she dropped the subject. I’m pretty sure she forgot a few minutes later anyway.”

When asked for his future study plans, Hitchens expressed uncertainty but added he doesn’t think he’ll be back to his TA anytime soon.