At a recent meeting, the instructor started by stating that he was going to say something once and that everybody should listen. He then told a story about people who had not listened at the last meeting and had had to call for clarification. He laughed and expected laughter from the crowd. A few people chuckled, but most of us started sweating.
I tried really hard, but I was in the back of the room and couldn't quite grasp all that he said. Part of me was so nervous about possibly missing something. Asking a question was out of the question.
Later on, I asked a few people at my table a couple of questions and learned that they also didn't quite get what the instructor meant but were also afraid to ask.
What did I learn from this experience? Nothing. I already know that people learn in different ways and that not everybody gets things the first time through.
Not everybody tunes in the same way. Sure, I had students who repeatedly asked about something that I had already stated about five times, and I'm sure that some of them just plain were not listening. Others might have been struggling to hear or see from the back of the room. Maybe some had a family problem that they just couldn't get out of their minds long enough to pay attention.
Being compassionate and understanding goes a long way. Even with adults.