As my regular readers know, I am a 35 year old who had a long break from college as the need to provide myself with a roof over my head was more pressing than my self-actualization of learning towards a bachelor's degree. I don't know what it is about the students who sit by the wall instead of the middle or by the windows, but it seems like I'm consistently screaming at those students to shut up in class. The more important question is, "why is no one teaching their students and children not to talk in class?"
I can't say that I'm perfect and I never talk in class myself. However, one of the differences, is that myself and others from my generation, talked in mini-transitions, (like attendance or working on problems on your own) not out-and-out during a lesson. If we were ever asked to shut up, it was by the teacher and we didn't argue about it.
Today's college students are different. They are arrogant and think that somehow they have the right to talk in class. Who am I to tell them what to do? NO! When I can't hear the professor because kids-ahem children- are yammering away behind me, I have the right to get mad. So, as you can guess, there is a story with this. I take a math class on Mondays and Wednesdays that is really hard and moves at the speed of light. The course covers pre-calculus, matrix algebra and calculus-all in one super fast moving course. We are not math majors and the math background of the students stretches beyond the spectrum of what it's supposed to since many students aren't even at the pre-requisite level when they take the course and others have taken calculus 2.
On Wednesday in class, I was distracted by noise behind me, so I looked back to give the talker a dirty look. Over and over again, the same girl was sitting there teaching another girl the material that the professor was teaching. It's nice if she wants to help someone, but either do it after class or show the work without talking. I finally said, "do you mind?" She shut up. However, yesterday, I think it was a different girl who was talking, I'm not sure. When I kept turning around and the girl was seeing me turn around and give her "the look," and continued to talk, again, I finally snapped, "do you mind?" She actually says to me, "I wasn't talking." WHAAAAAAAAAAT? I mean I *saw* who was talking and she saw me giving her dirty looks. She looked right back at me and kept talking. The professor spoke up and pointed out that the noise seems to always come from the same section of the class. This is true.
What is also disturbing is that while these two times, it was Asian girls, it's very, very, very often FFB Jews. In math, there are two FFB-JAP girls who sit with another girl in the middle of them. I'm not sure if the girl in the middle is Jewish because her last name is more generic and could go either way. She wears pants. I do guess, though, that she's a MODERN orthodox type, if nothing else, because her friends strike me as the types who would never talk to a non-Jew. I could go on and site examples galore of how many classes I've had where the Jewish students talk and talk with absolutely NO respect whatsoever for others. Those others could even include Jewish students or the professor. It has not yet happened where the Jewish students disrespected a Jewish professor so fervently in one of my classes. Although, when I've had Jewish professors, there were either no other Jews in the class (two classes, ok one class had only one other, but she's not a JAP), the class is online (one class), the Jewish professor is not Orthodox (two classes) or the Jewish students don't show up because attendance does not count (one class).
I am also 35 and going back to school to finish my degree. I go to night school, at Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, NY. Almost all of the students are 25-45 years old. Females in general talk the most in every class. Every woman thinks that the world revolves around her. I wish you well. - Keith
ReplyDeleteIn THIS class it's women who talk. However, Syrian MOOOOOOOOOODERN orthodox guys talk inCESSANTLY. I've had two classes with this problem. Actually, in both cases, the guys came from the same "Orthodox" Jewish high school. I guess they don't teach their kids about respecting the teacher at the Jewish schools, particularly that one.
ReplyDeleteYou would think college students knew better.
ReplyDeleteI teach in college (undergrad). I would never tolerate such behavior, period. If it's happening, it's on the professor.
ReplyDeleteOh, and several of my worst students in memory have been from our religion. However, they were the exception, rather than the rule....and I refuse to generalize in regards to the entire group or community.
Daniel-
ReplyDeleteYeah, well he's a grad student. When I yelled at the other students he backed me up. He doesn't have his backbone, yet. He'll say, "guys can you keep the noise down?" If I ever became a professor, WATCH OUT!!! I've been in the Army and seen drill sergeants get inches from the faces of talkers and tell them to shut. Plus, like my mom used to say, "exCUSE me for talking while you're interrupting." I would likely say, "oh, excuse me for trying to teach a lesson. Obviously, you would prefer to teach it. Come on up to the board.... come on...." that would likely shut them up. If it didn't then they teach and it becomes their problem.
Very interesting. I am currently 31 and in graduate school; but all of my classes are online...so for the moment, I don't need to deal with this. However I was a non-traditional (I was 29) student when I was getting my undergrad. I was very surprised at how many of my classmates were texting on their phones while the professor was talking. It seemed like 3/4 of the class! No way did the professor not see them. I personally found this to be incredibly rude; but never have I had a class where the professor was a stickler for not taking out your cell phone during class.
ReplyDeleteAt least if they are texting they aren't disturbing me. When my grad student English professor was getting observed, the girls who sit by the wall in THAT class (didn't I say it's always the wall?) were texting the whole class. I didn't notice it at all but, the observer noticed it and first we got this "no more electronics in class" Email which freaked me out because I write as fast as a snail crosses the street so, I type my notes, but anyhow, we get to class the following Monday and he tells us how he got yelled at because this whole group of girls by the wall were texting the whole time and he got yelled at for not saying anything.
ReplyDeleteI've texted once or twice in classes but mostly my fingers are dancing across the keyboard grabbing me notes galore. I've fallen asleep in class more than I've texted.
why do you pay attention to them??? if you cant hear then sit in the front. i am in high school and even thought some of my classes are loud it dose not bother me or affect my concentration level. and its non of your business if people text or not get a life :)
ReplyDeleteI do sit in the front and I can hear them over the teacher. My point is that the other students don't care and I do. The fact that they text in class supports that they don't care. My friends don't text in class, either, but for to reply that they are in class.
ReplyDelete