DR. WALLACE: I didn't get what I was hoping for in terms of holiday gifts this year. I gave my parents lots of hints, clues and outright suggestions over the three months leading up to the gift-giving season, yet all I got was a pile of clothes, most of which I'm not interested in. I'm 15 and there are a lot of fun things I really would have enjoyed more than a pile of shirts and boring sweaters.

My parents are good parents overall, but they are way below average when it comes to buying birthday and holiday gifts. What can I do about this? My parents are literally clueless. — No Good Gifts for Me, via email

NO GOOD GIFTS FOR ME: If you're not going to be wearing some of those clothes, perhaps your mom or dad might let you take some of the store credit and spend it on something you'd enjoy more.

You can also ask your parents if you can do extra chores at home or for a friendly neighbor so that you can earn a little spending money to be able to buy some of the items you'd prefer to have.

Earning and spending your own money is a good life lesson to learn at an early age, so you can perhaps share that idea with your parents to help you get the ball rolling if they are open to the idea of you working a bit in your free time.

I DON'T LIKE BEING CALLED UPON RANDOMLY IN CLASS

DR. WALLACE: I'm a freshman in high school so I'm still adjusting to having six different teachers during my school day instead of just one like I had last year in middle school.

I like some of my current teachers pretty well, but one of them makes me really uncomfortable every time I'm in his class. He's only in his late 20s, which makes him easily the youngest of all of my teachers. Most are in their 40s or 50s. But it's not his age that worries me, it's that he will always call on everyone in his class almost every single day. When I least expect it, he'll be discussing some topic and then call my name and say, "Why do you think this is?" This forces me to answer his question since he'll stop talking and just look at me without saying anything more.

He actually does this to every single student in our class every day or two, and I often hear other students mention how uncomfortable this makes them feel as well. Do you feel he's out of line calling on everyone randomly whenever he wants to? I sure do. — He Makes Me Uncomfortable, via email

HE MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE: Many students are surprised by teachers who like to call upon them in class, but they really shouldn't be. I receive letters about this topic frequently. My hunch is that this young teacher is using this method to keep all students in his classes on their toes! It's hard to be sneaking a peak at your cellphone or daydreaming during one of his lectures if you know he's likely to call on you to speak about an issue during the lecture.

As long as he is not calling on any single particular student repeatedly to the exclusion of the rest of the class, I don't see anything wrong with his method. Class participation has long been considered to be one of the foundations of the grading process, so this may indeed be one of the ways he is ensuring his students both pay attention and participate.

I'm not sure if you're planning on attending college someday, but if so, this teacher is likely doing you and your fellow classmates a favor as many college professors are known to similarly call upon their students in a similar random way.

And even if you have no interest in college, no matter what future employment you seek, it's highly likely that you will be asked random questions by supervisors or business owners as well. Paying attention to details and being able to speak cogently about important topics is a good skill to have in any workplace.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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