1. The Eager Beaver
We all know that one student who just LOVES to answer every question the prof throws out (even if it’s rhetorical). Their incessant need to show off can get tedious to the point where you’re rolling your eyes as soon as they raise their hand. While every student should feel comfortable answering and asking questions, it shouldn’t be to the point of infringing on the rights of other students (i.e. wasting valuable teaching time to constantly pipe in with their opinions).
What I’ve Tried:
a. Accepting it and doing nothing
b. Approach the student and mention that the prof has office hours they could visit instead of asking during the lecture
c. Asking the professor to limit questions to a few per student to keep the lecture on track
What Works Best:
Talking to the professor seemed to be the best option, you avoid confrontation with the student and something still gets done about the situation
2. Chatty Cathy
The worst, the VERY WORST, is a student who doesn’t understand the art of whispering. Speaking with your seat neighbour isn’t a big deal if you keep your voice down. When you’re talking at normal volume in the middle of a 600-person lecture hall and even the front row is distracted by it, that’s when it’s an issue. Not only does nobody care about your weekend plans, but it’s hard to concentrate when the professor’s voice is being drowned out by yours.
What I’ve tried:
a. Shooting an annoyed glare over my shoulder
b. “Ahem-ing” under my breath
c. Switching seats
d. Asking the person(s) to lower their voice (if they’re close enough to me)
e. Raising my hand and asking the professor to speak louder because “people around me are talking too loud for me to hear” (if they’re not close to me)
What Works Best:
Depending on how close they’re sitting, I’ve found d and e to work well because a-c usually doesn’t stop the person(s) from talking.
3. The Phone-y
While talking can be disruptive, another annoying sound is someone’s phone going off. Most people understand to turn their phone on silent during lectures, but there are a few that don’t realize how annoying that “ping” can be, especially when it’s going off every few minutes during the entire lecture.
What I’ve Tried:
a. See 2a.
b. See 2b.
c. Asking the person to turn their phone on silent
What Works Best:
It seems the better option is to directly ask them to silence their phone, so that everyone can focus.
4. The Eater
As a student, it can be hard to fit in a meal between all the chaos, so eating in class is sometimes the only option. However, bringing loud or smelly food is not cool. A bag of chips or can of tuna can be off-putting to those around you.
What I’ve Tried:
a. Plugging my nose/breathing through my mouth
b. Moving seats
c. Asking the person to cover their food or try to eat quieter
What Works Best:
Usually the person is too far away for me to talk to them directly, so I usually end up doing a.
If you consider yourself to be one of these 4 types of students, please remember to be considerate of those around you. We all have the right to education (and we paid lots of moolah for it too)!