Asking questions isn’t a sign you’re behind. It’s how you stop being behind.

Confusion is a position, and a question is how you move out of it. People stay silent to avoid looking behind, which guarantees they stay there, and the gap widens while everyone pretends it is not there. The ones who ask early tend to be the ones who look quickest later. Asking is the mechanism, not the admission.

Ask the next one at the moment you notice the fog rather than after class. Keep it short and specific so it is easy to answer. If the setting makes it hard, write it down and ask afterward, but ask the same day.