For most of my academic career I was an average student. I always attended my classes but was rarely actively involved. Like most students, I had many questions but more often than not didn't raise my hand. Rather than asking questions and keeping up with the material during class, I would devote my energy to cramming before tests, and was satisfied with getting B's and C's.
Looking back, I regret the way I approached class for all those years. I did just enough to get by. It wasn't that I didn't care about the material I was learning, it was just so easy to disengage once I starting getting confused, and I was immature enough to start day dreaming, doodling, or browsing the internet, rather than raise my hand. I knew that I wasn't living up to my potential, and so did my teachers. It must have been frustrating for them to see me do just enough to get by.
When Dave told me about his idea for GoSoapBox, it was an "Aha" moment for me. Give students a platform to contribute to class without a physical interruption and they'll use it! I know I would have. What I love about GoSoapBox though is that its value isn't limited to students who don't feel like participating, it benefits the entire class....even the A+ students sitting in the front row.
I'm so passionate about building GoSoapBox because I know how easy it can be to disengage as a student, and how frustrating it can be for teachers. There's nothing I love more than hearing our users tell us how much GoSoapBox has improved their classroom, and how thankful they are for having it. The hours that students spend in the classroom are some of the most valuable hours of their lives, and I know that I wasted many of mine. I'm building GoSoapBox to help students extract as much value out of those hours as possible.
John Pytel
CEO GoSoapBox