Raising The Bar
Had a conversation with a student during lunch today and it was very refreshing. This student was complaining that many of her classes do not challenge her enough.
I hear too many students complaining about how boring their classes are and that they do not get anything out of them and that General Education classes are such a waste of time. I've sat in on some of these classes, if it weren't for the teacher's voice, you could hear a pin drop. You get out of it what you put in. (Here comes the generalization!) Too many students do not actively participate n too many classes. I hear the "What's the least amount of work can we do to pass this class?" statements too many times.
I told this student that if she does not feel challenged by her classes, then challenge the teacher or the class for that matter by speaking out and asking questions. Work with your teacher and find out different ways to initiate a discussion. Another way is to take such an extreme position on a topic that it stirs other students to want to speak out their opinion (of course you have to be able to back it up or be prepared to say, "Hey you're right, thank you.").
I've sat in too many class that when the teacher asks a question about some point or another, I would almost swear that I can hear crickets. Raise the bar! Do not settle for "cruising" through a whole semester of a class, get the most out of it.

Song of the Day: "The Logical Song" by Supertramp