By Mary Larsh, Columnist
Some students’ habits are becoming apparent in the classroom.
Students have become so eager to leave that they have become less attentive.
At the end of class, students are more focused on dashing out the door than listening to the professor.
Professors take notice of which students are itching to leave because it causes a distraction.
My professor was irritated with students who would pack up their notes before the lecture was finished.
The rustling of papers disrupted his lecture.
Students also walked out while the professor was in midsentence. Many times, the professor stopped his thought entirely.
The students who didn’t leave abruptly missed out on his last thought.
Students should be courteous to their professors and their classmates.
They should allow the professor to finish his or her sentence before leaving for their next class.
It’s the same premise as walking away from someone during a conversation.
It’s disconcerting and rude.
It’s not fair to disrupt class for the students who want to stay an extra few minutes to hear the remainder of the professor’s thought.
My professor went about five minutes past class time this week, and a student interrupted him midsentence.
The student said she was sorry and that she had to shower and go to work.
Students are less focused on learning and more focused on leaving.
Professors deserve to have their sentences completed.
I’ve been guilty of packing up a little early, but it is important to let professors finish speaking.
Mary,
I appreciate your manners and encouraging your classmates to follow.
I also think it’s important for professors to realize that students often have back-to-back classes. I certainly know what it’s like to “get on a roll” and want to finish whatever I’m lecturing about. However, I’m also unforgiving when students are late to my classes. When I wrote about Things Professors Do that Irritate Students (http://www.profkrg.com/things-professors-do-that-irritate-students), keeping students late was one of the main things students mentioned. Quite simply, one professor’s self importance often leads to students being penalized in other classes. I would hope that, when I go over in class, a student would respectfully make me aware of the time.
Thanks for your perspective!
Kenna