As an instructor one of my primary goals is to be clear. I work very hard to be clear. I write long e-mails, give detailed handouts, and include bullet points and pictures. Sometimes this extra work pays off. Sometimes students read what I’ve taken the time to write and successfully answer their own questions, understand the assignment, follow the guidelines, and successfully complete the assignment. Sometimes, however, these students approach me with questions about the assignment. While this would not normally be a problem these students are asking questions that are already answered in the detailed handouts. This is something that students need to address.
If you go to a job interview and ask the interviewer what the company does you probably won’t get the job. Why? Because you should know at least general information about the company you are applying to work for. The same is true for being a student. While the instructor doesn’t have the ability to “fire” you they do have the ability to “fail” you. While your grades will reflect your performance in the course it is not a good sign if you don’t read the information your instructor prepares for you. If the assignment says you must write 1000 words and you only write 990 your instructor doesn’t really have any reason to care that it is “just 10 words” because they were very clear about the requirements.
I’ve previously presented a different perspective of the teacher re-assigning material the students refused to learn and this is also a different perspective. In some ways I’m specifically writing to college students. No one should be holding your hand anymore. If the instructor hands you something you should read it. The instructor assumes you’ve read what was handed out and holds you accountable to it. This extends past college though, and could also be useful to high schoolers. Don’t assume that someone is going to figure things out for you. There is a lot of information out there. Use what skills you have at your disposal to learn as much as you can before asking a question. You’ll be more valuable as a student and an employee.