Text entry box cursor

I have several places in my course where a thinking question is asked to the learner and I use a text entry box for them to record there response. However the cursor appears in the middle of the box and if someone clicks anywhere outside of that area to begin typing, it doesn't allow them to type anything. My question is, is there a way to make the entire text entry box active so that the learner can type anywhere within the box to avoid this issue?