If yourself or someone you know someone is an introvert, then they likely silently rage against classes in high school. The worst day in any class is day the teacher announces a group project. *shudders* Most traditional schools from elementary to high school are not designed to be introvert friendly, which is not necessarily their fault. Society is only now beginning to recognize the different attention introverts need to succeed and even thrive.

Particularly in high school and middle school, some students begin to develop their adult personality while others seem to be uncomfortable in class and stop interacting. However, often times their grades do not reflect the discomfort in class. Through a young introverts eyes this is class: Sitting in a class of 30 some people, which is growing more each year, and uncomfortable about having to interact in that sheer number of people. When the teacher looks to the class for an answer an introvert basically has two options, either hope and pray that they do not get called on or be prepared to give the answer and nothing but the answer. Personally, I mastered the give an answer tactic. One time, a teacher told me to stop answering questions because I just spouted out answers every time but then gave me 10% on my next test. Ultimately, the one thing introverts avoid like the plague is presentations and group discussions. School projects do not work well for introverts; we learn best by just working on our own while traditional school often works best by partnering up. Going through my head when I have to partner up is "let's just get this over, get it done and do not talk." I remember one assignment where we paired up and were asked to write thirty questions with the intention that we each discussed the thirty questions together. However, I hacked the system and set down the ground rules by saying you write fifteen and I'll write fifteen.

For example, in class, the topic is biology and it is the last class of the day. We introverts are mildly grouchy because of time spent out and involved in society. With the notes are being jotted down, the last ten minutes of class people chug along as the teacher turns to the class and begins to ask questions. We register the questions, answering them all in our head getting most of them right, one wrong only by a technicality. As the questions keep coming the teacher is picking fellow students from the class if no one is answering promptly. We ask ourselves if it would be a good idea to challenge the teacher, stare them down and mentally dare them to pick one us, "Come ask me a question, I'll get it right and you know it!" But then we also think "Just shut up already, let me leave." Before we know it, a simple question comes up and we blurt out "thylakoid stack." The class ends, we grab our backpacks and rush to the car so we can bolt before the traffic hits critical mass.

Then, in college being an introvert changes if you get the right class, partially because we are older and more able to socialize better than an awkward teenager. Another part is because the classes are typically smaller and teachers are more involved. While lecture classes are simply awful, actual classes are much better if they are smaller. In many of my classes it is a large class if there is more than fifteen people. With smaller classes, introverts flourish! We are able to engage with people on a topic we typically are invested in, college is the time to really learn how we as introverts can function in adult society.

Classes are always interesting, developing a balance between being involved and not being put on the spot or exhausting ourselves. While in college though life is better because most the time we do not even have to go class, but that is not how the adult world works. Yay introversion! Just keep your head up, feign some involvement and you will get by as an introvert.