so I'm an auditory/kinesthetic learner, and I recently decided to start bringing my knitting to class, to see if it kept me more engaged in the lecture and off my electronics. It's pretty much a silent hobby, so I was surprised when a friend/classmate mentioned that she felt it was distracting and rude to the professor and other students. This is a class with many people on their laptops/tablets for lecture. Anyway, I grew up with a knitting mama who had hers everywhere, so I've never really seen it as inappropriate. Just curious what you all think? Would it bother you? More or less than people using electronics or eating in class?
That would be me distracted and guessing. *glancing over at knitter thinking to myself* "Wait, wait....she's knitting a....sweater! No, no.....arms aren't that long.....can't be a sweater.....let me give her 30 min and look again.....where is all that yarn coming from?.....look at her hands...I would poke my eye out......it's a coffee cup cozie.....now that's just stupid to think that....how the h*ll does she go so fast?....I need to learn how to knit...I'm feeling the need to do something with my hands....maybe randomly waiving at the instructor?.....no that's awkward she might wave back.....sweet mother of pearl what is she knitting?!"
Yep that would be exactly what was going through my mind during class.
Sorry, but I'd have to say that it's up to YOU to turn your eyes forward and listen to what your instructor is explaining, not ME to try to keep you from daydreaming.
You might be someone who stares at the scrunchie holding a classmate's ponytail and wonder "is that a bean or a marble sewn in? Is that a sequin or just a shiny bit of something else? I wonder where she got it....I used to have one similar to that....hmmm, wonder what happened to it? I think I gave it to my cousin Martha....wonder how Martha is doing nowadays?"
Would you then suggest that no one in class be allowed to have a ponytail holder that piques your curiosity, thereby forcing you to daydream? Boy, I'd hope not!
Sorry, but I'd have to say that it's up to YOU to turn your eyes forward and listen to what your instructor is explaining, not ME to try to keep you from daydreaming.
You might be someone who stares at the scrunchie holding a classmate's ponytail and wonder "is that a bean or a marble sewn in? Is that a sequin or just a shiny bit of something else? I wonder where she got it....I used to have one similar to that....hmmm, wonder what happened to it? I think I gave it to my cousin Martha....wonder how Martha is doing nowadays?"
Would you then suggest that no one in class be allowed to have a ponytail holder that piques your curiosity, thereby forcing you to daydream? Boy, I'd hope not!
I'd rather sit next to a knitter than a student who snores through the lecture. Loudly. Yes, that happened. Multiple times.
Sorry, but I'd have to say that it's up to YOU to turn your eyes forward and listen to what your instructor is explaining, not ME to try to keep you from daydreaming.
You might be someone who stares at the scrunchie holding a classmate's ponytail and wonder "is that a bean or a marble sewn in? Is that a sequin or just a shiny bit of something else? I wonder where she got it....I used to have one similar to that....hmmm, wonder what happened to it? I think I gave it to my cousin Martha....wonder how Martha is doing nowadays?"
Would you then suggest that no one in class be allowed to have a ponytail holder that piques your curiosity, thereby forcing you to daydream? Boy, I'd hope not!
Yes, no one wears ponytail holders. All will be required to crop their hair short and salute the instructor. No one will be allowed to take notes, get up, turn a page in their book, blink, sneeze, talk....total silence. Oh, they must all wear white smocks also. This way I get every dime I paid for my education and can't blame anyone for distracting me. *rolling eyes*
Seriously, don't take things to heart. I already have my nursing degree and was able to manage my way through ponytail holders, cell phones, toe tapping, pencil rolling, page turning, constant whispers, and boring instructors that could just put me to sleep.
So we're expected to ignore all inappropriate distractions but the OP isn't expected to conduct herself like an adult and focus on the teacher? That's a double standard if I ever heard one. Once you're in college you're expected to act like an adult, and part of that is being able to sit through a class. If you can't, maybe you're not ready for college.
What a great conversation! So I am one of those types who get's easily distracted by what others are doing, which is why I sit in the front row if I can. When I sit in the back, I get distracted by every little thing, and I don't see knitting as being any better or worse then the myriad of other distracting behavior that potentially goes on. As long as the person knitting is doing so quietly and inconspicuously as possible, it really wouldn't bother or offend me either way. I would think that out of respect, they might run it by the professor first, to see how the professor feels. If the professor is fine then I say go for it. If knitting helps the kinetic learner learn, then I see this as a positive thing.
You know what my biggest issue is with this is, why do we have to constantly cater to other people. And I'm talking both sides of the argument here.
One of the biggest shaking my head moments when I came back to school last year, was how we now cater to different learning styles. I had to sit beside a guy who had some issue and drew, listened to music, and played games on his phone. All at once. I found it distracting and rude. He claimed learning disability. He had this giant eraser and was constantly erasing the pictures he drew and retouching them.
It seems to me good old fashioned manners and common sense have gone out the window. In high school, if any one of us did not pay attention to the instructor, our butts were in detention. You went to school, paid attention, and did your work. To me, this is all a sense of entitlement. I get to do what I want in class, and if anyone says anything about me, then you are all wrong and not "sensitive" to my issues. I'm personally over it. This is exactly why we have tons of issues hiring competent workers. Everyone is all about them.
I'm sorry but how in the world did someone doodling during a lecture distract you to the point that you went to the teacher about it?? That's like complaining that a student was writing notes! And yet someone making bows didn't bother you at all?? That just seems absurd.
It bothered me because she was very elaborate with her movements, and reaching in and out of her bag multiple times to grab different colored pens and for some odd reason her pens were really scratchy. It was distracting because although doodling should be quiet, she wasn't! The sewing didn't bother me because that person didn't make any noise.
And for those who wonder how I would handle a busy nurses station or floor, I handle my MICU position quite well. Because all the beeps and noises I hear are relevant to my job.
So we're expected to ignore all inappropriate distractions but the OP isn't expected to conduct herself like an adult and focus on the teacher? That's a double standard if I ever heard one. Once you're in college you're expected to act like an adult, and part of that is being able to sit through a class. If you can't, maybe you're not ready for college.
Again, as I have stated before, the need for movement does not signify that someone is not ready for college. It is simply what they need to do to actually focus. People need to mind their own business and stop expecting everyone else to be prefect so THEY can learn better. And those who need movement of some sort, need to find a way to appease that need without being intentionally distracting. If the knitter is clicking and constantly changing skeins and getting yarn all over the place, then yes that is rude. But if they are sitting quietly and everything they need is in their lap, then it is YOUR job to focus on your studies. If you are a student who gets easily distracted, that is YOUR problem, as there are many other distractions in class to avoid. If you dont get distracted easily and like to just listen and write notes, then this shouldnt be a problem so why does it matter. Its a two way street. Each side cant expect the other to just suck it up and deal because of whatever they perceive to be a nuisance or not. They need to be able to meet in the middle.
And for your information, I am a mover in class. I try to be the least distracting possible, but I just have to move or I cant focus. So that would put me in the bin of "unable to just sit through class" like a "traditional" student. So what you are saying is that because I dont fit your description of a college student that I shouldnt be in college. Well my awesome grades and exceptional reviews from clinical instructors would beg to differ. My moving, unprofessional, and apparently childish self will be graduating in a year just like the big kids.
I've read many responses now that say that they would be too interested in what the person is knitting, wondering what they're making, etc etc and that it would, therefore, be just too distracting. And, therefore, the KNITTER would be the one to have to adjust, by not knitting.
What keeps popping into my head is "your inability to pay attention isn't my problem"!
We always say that what someone else thinks or doesn't think is not your concern. That everyone is responsible for his or her own learning experience; no one ELSE is responsible for them.
And here we have people saying that because they would be unable to tear their eyes away from someone else's lap, that they cannot possibly concentrate on the instructor without wondering whether Suzie is making a scarf or a hat, that it's the KNITTER'S problem? Makes me think "REALLY not my problem that he can't mind his own business".
If the instructor allows eating, and someone is eating, the person who DOESN'T like the eating rule has to deal with it, period. If the instructor allows people to tap on cellphones all class, and someone else doesn't like it....yep, they have to learn how to deal with it. Life is an adjustment.
So, I still say that if it's the instructor who doesn't like it, don't do it. If you're quiet, keep it to yourself, and don't invite conversation, you (the knitter) is hardly responsible for someone else's daydreaming!
This makes no sense. You could easily (and far more justifiably) turn this around and say that it's no ones responsibility to sacrifice their concentration for someone who can't stop fidgeting. This is college people. If this was high school and done this i'm betting a trip to the principal would have been in order.
"Your inability to pay attention isn't my problem". Very true. I think that goes for the one person out of a class who can't use a stress ball or doodle and is impacting the education of everyone else.
This makes no sense. You could easily (and far more justifiably) turn this around and say that it's no ones responsibility to sacrifice their concentration for someone who can't stop fidgeting. This is college people. If this was high school and done this i'm betting a trip to the principal would have been in order.
"Your inability to pay attention isn't my problem". Very true. I think that goes for the one person out of a class who can't use a stress ball or doodle and is impacting the education of everyone else.
Welll.....it DOES make sense, and you support that with what you wrote.
Thing is, you (and I!) can make a case for both sides of the issue (as does Heathermaizy, and I'm sure others).
I think it boils down to whether you think the person who is doing the quiet activity (yet is still potentially distracting to someone else) should be prevented from doing this activity. Or whether you think the person who is potentially distracted should figure out how to avoid the distraction.
It really comes down to that. One person's right to do something, versus one other person's right to not be 'subjected' to that something. I believe everything in these settings should be handled individually, case-by-case, as no two people or situations are likely to be perfectly identical.
The suggestion that someone is not "ready for college" because they occupy their hands with a stress ball, doodling, or knitting needles is off-base, IMHO. It could very easily be flipped around to say 'someone who is distracted at the most minute things--like a classmate with a stress ball, doodling, or knitting needles in their hands--isn't ready for college'. Both are extreme statements, and probably both are untrue.
Interesting discussion, no doubt! The kind I find most engaging, as I can and DO see both sides of this issue.
Yes, no one wears ponytail holders. All will be required to crop their hair short and salute the instructor. No one will be allowed to take notes, get up, turn a page in their book, blink, sneeze, talk....total silence. Oh, they must all wear white smocks also. This way I get every dime I paid for my education and can't blame anyone for distracting me. *rolling eyes*
Seriously, don't take things to heart. I already have my nursing degree and was able to manage my way through ponytail holders, cell phones, toe tapping, pencil rolling, page turning, constant whispers, and boring instructors that could just put me to sleep.
Hope your cousin Martha is doing well. :-)
Not a matter of "taking things to heart", really, just advocating for the position of the knitter. On another day, I might advocate for the position of the attention-challenged. Depends on my mood :)
And LOL at "cousin Martha"! Funny the things that pop into your head, aren't they? Don't even know a Martha.... :)
Not a matter of "taking things to heart", really, just advocating for the position of the knitter. On another day, I might advocate for the position of the attention-challenged. Depends on my mood :)
And LOL at "cousin Martha"! Funny the things that pop into your head, aren't they? Don't even know a Martha.... :)
I can understand your position. :-) I was really just being silly when I wrote the post. 95% of my posts here are all in fun. I normally do not mean to sound sarcastic but I also know that the intent of a post is not always read the way a person means it. :-) I have no Martha's in my life either.
RNsRWe, ASN, RN
3 Articles; 10,428 Posts
Sorry, but I'd have to say that it's up to YOU to turn your eyes forward and listen to what your instructor is explaining, not ME to try to keep you from daydreaming.
You might be someone who stares at the scrunchie holding a classmate's ponytail and wonder "is that a bean or a marble sewn in? Is that a sequin or just a shiny bit of something else? I wonder where she got it....I used to have one similar to that....hmmm, wonder what happened to it? I think I gave it to my cousin Martha....wonder how Martha is doing nowadays?"
Would you then suggest that no one in class be allowed to have a ponytail holder that piques your curiosity, thereby forcing you to daydream? Boy, I'd hope not!