For the ordinary student, it is undoubtedly so that there is one goal shared by many to be fulfilled in every class session that they sit through, which is to simply get through those occasionally dreary hours without much trouble or effort. However, the existence of such a goal proposes the existence of an obstacle—in this case, the inescapable wrath of cold calling.

Notorious for catching poor, unsuspecting students off guard, cold calling is a method utilized by teachers to examine the class’ attention and their gained knowledge—or lack thereof—without any sort of preparation or warning beforehand. While it is certainly effective in keeping students alert, it is still understandable why some aren’t partial to this approach to teaching. From what I’ve observed, the experience of being cold-called instills a sense of anxiety among students and, of course, inevitable embarrassment when answers fail to satisfy the teacher’s standards.

In my own bout of obliviously waiting for class to end, I’ve had my fair share of experiences where being cold-called left me completely dumbstruck and red-faced, all thanks to my utter lack of vigilance accompanied by an utter abundance of brain fog. However, this is not to say that I reproach this particular method. These experiences show that anyone can “fall victim” to this practice as it is unavoidable, and it is how it is for a multitude of good reasons.

One of which is to encourage students to participate while, at the same time, assessing both their attentiveness and overall understanding of the lessons presented. Hitting three birds with the help of one unforeseen stone, so to speak. 

My peers have understandably grown a bit disdainful of all the random picking, but to argue that this method is unnecessary seems quite far-fetched. Truly, it can be humbling to be put on the spot, yet it’s undeniably handy in building up our sharpness when the next opportunity arises. It is only necessary that we’re trained to think on our feet, as there comes a time when we won’t be able to rely on references, books, or notes for answers to the questions we are bound to face.