Sunday, March 29, 2009

Classroom Etiquette and Related Student Behaviours

Top demerits in Classroom Etiquette
1. Eating strong smelling food in air-conditioned lecture theatres. I came across a student who ate ba chor mee during lessons, and the entire LT reeked of vinegar and minced pork. And she sat right in front of the lecturer, so the lecturer would had probably smelt what she ate too.

2. Packing and leaving noisily before the lecturer ends the lesson. I mean, it's perfectly fine if you don't want to be late for the next class, but you can always leave quietly. It's very disrespectful to the lecturer when students leave hastily, slamming tablet tables down and stomping off, when the lecturer is trying to wrap up the lesson. It's an unfortunate reflection of the level of social graces present in our young adults. There is even a lecturer who, on ending the lesson, tell the remaining students in the LT, "I thank you for your patience, enjoy your weekend".

3. Leaving behind drink cans, food wrappers and the like in the lecture theatre. A lecturer once passed candies and chocolates to the students on Halloween. Expectedly, many students left the wrapper lying around the room, which was not a pleasant sight. Ironically, the lesson was about environmental protection in Singapore.

4. Sitting down on the floor of the back of, or on the steps of the lecture theater when there are clearly enough seats in front. The intentions of the students who do so may be to create as little disruption to the class as possible by not moving right to the front, especially when they are late. However, by sitting on the floor it makes leaving the LT during breaks difficult as these students are clearly blocking the exits. Moreover, it creates a snowballing effect. When one student begins to sit on the floor, the rest who arrives after him/ her will follow suit, thinking that there are no more empty seats. Please make the most of the school fees you paid and do fellow late-comers a favour by taking a seat.

5. Creating an echo of imitative voices when foreign lecturers mispronounce words in their heavily-accented English. Yes, it is indeed funny the way some foreign lecturers pronounce some words, but let us be more sensitive to their feelings. A lecturer once pronounced the letter “G” as 鸡ji1, which immediately created a chorus of imitative chickens amongst the audience. Can you imagine mispronouncing a word and being ridiculed in front of an audience of a few hundred?

6. Shaking legs vigorously during lessons (I used to be guilty of this). This does not create much nuisance when the seats are disjointed, but in most LTs, seats are jointed in a row. So when one decides to exercise his/ her legs, the rest in the row can feel the vibrations. My lecture mates Cloud and Tianqi can testify to the level of annoyance this creates, which is why I eventually quit shaking legs during classes. =P

7. Not knowing when to talk and when to remain silent. When lecturers ask questions in class, students are often not responsive enough, even in simple questions that only require a show of hands. Many times, there will be dead silence when responses are expected. However, when some classes begin, students do not settle down quick enough and carry on with chitchatting.

Other Related (Mis)Behaviour Outside the Classroom
1. Smoking outside tutorial rooms. Our institution prides itself in being a “smoke-free campus”, but students know that this is generally not true. It is not uncommon to walk along corridors, and first spot smokers using your nose, then see them with your eyes. If you want to stuff nicotine-laden air down your throat, do so by all means, but please insulate yourself from the rest of humanity who deserves better air.

2. Refusing to move to the rear of buses when passengers are boarding. During peak hours, the front of buses are packed like sardines, while the rear of some buses was observed to be relatively spacious.

However, these misbehaviours do not apply to all students in the institution the idealist is studying at. To make my entry seem less like a dressing down on students, I shall end off with one other positive act that students do which are commendable.

It is not uncommon for students to carelessly leave their belongings behind when moving to the next class. Fortunately, it is also not uncommon for fellow students to take the trouble to return such belongings to their owner. I once left my thumbdrive at the library, and to my delight, someone picked it up and left it at the lost and found counter. The person even found out my email from my files and informed me where the thumbdrive could be collected from! Similarly, some of my friends have recovered lost handphones through the help of fellow students. It is generally easier to recover lost valuables when you are in school, rather than in the public. =)

Disclaimer: While the idealist endeavours to keep the information up to date and correct, she makes no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the entry or the information contained on the entry for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

In no event will she be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from damage to reputation or credibility arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this entry.

boo!
1:11 PM

Sunday, March 29, 2009

PROFILE

LOVES

CONTACT ME

DISCLAIMER

LINKS

CREDITS