Nursing School Vent-Inconsiderate Classmates and Flighty instructor

Published

I just sat through a 3 hour lecture that really got on my last nerves. For one thing, the instructor started incredibly late, as usual and most of these problems are due to the instructors classroom management, but here we go. It was 3 hours of clicky highlighter pens highlighting every single thing on the power points, only not until the instructor mentioned that it was important. Shouldn't everything on there be important since it's just notes? Then you have the feet scuffling, chronic pen clicking, constant sighing from the incredibly rude and impatient person sitting in the row in front of me. Then there are the people who have to color code everything in the power point and noisily switch pens or highlighters or whatever they're using to defile their powerpoint slides to make them easier to study from. The worst is the constantly getting off track by students and even the instructor, which caused more sighing and toe tapping from the impatient before-mentioned student.

I'll admit to being a little ADD at times, but today was the absolute worst. I managed to entertain myself quietly with the internet on my blackberry and marking pages numbers in my power points so I can go back and study in peace and quiet. I understand that people are doing what helps them learn best, but do they have to be so noisy?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

HAHAHA I thought I was anal. LOL Not meaning to be rude either, it's just some of my friends give me crap because I get so frustrated listening to someone continuously click their pin, or tap on their desk. (I swear I was born without a filter, I will hear the gardners leaf blowing across campus and it is distracting and most everyone else didn't even notice), but you make me look relaxed!

Again, I am only teasing, not being mean, vent away!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I do usually highlight everything on my powerpoint with my ONE yellow highlighter that remains uncapped the whole time, for some reason it's easier for me to read the print that way.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Care.

Oh I hate when people click their pens or tap. If that person is sitting beside me, or behind me or in front of me I tell them politely to stop. Most people are unaware that they do it. Ohhh, and then there's the gum smackers and the little girls that have to whisper all during lecture.

Yeah, sometimes I don't know who's worse to deal with, the instructor or classmates. I just bring myself something to do to distract me, especially if the class has wifi, I'm off in my own world.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I am grateful when it is a friend that is doing it near me, because then I can ask them to stop without all the snotty drama. But usually it's not the case LOL. I don't have any issues with my instructors THUS FAR LOL

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't blame you at all for being irritated. I know how much I love to mindlessly click those clicky pens so I try to stick to pens with caps. That way if i play with them they hardly make any noise. And, like you, I leave the highlighter top OFF for the whole class. Honestly, don't those people get annoyed by constantly having to remove their caps?? I will admit that one of my friends and I talk during class BUT it is in as quiet a whisper as we can manage AND it's almost always one of us clarifying something a teacher said to the other. So I personally don't think the whispering is bad so long as it is very brief and relevant to the class you're sitting in.

Just my two cents :-)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in interested in NICU!!.

relax- drink a beer!

next time, just ask in a nice manner to please stop as it is a big distraction for you. i would ask if i were in your shoes.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am not shy at all about telling people who insist on talking in class to "please be quiet". It is not only distracting but rude and disrespectful of the instructor and fellow classmates.

As for the pen clicking and feet shuffling - somehow you have to block it out. Try sitting in the front of the classroom. I might be a pen clicker myself and don't realize it which I am sure is the case for many. :imbar

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I am not shy at all about telling people who insist on talking in class to "please be quiet". It is not only distracting but rude and disrespectful of the instructor and fellow classmates.

As for the pen clicking and feet shuffling - somehow you have to block it out. Try sitting in the front of the classroom. I might be a pen clicker myself and don't realize it which I am sure is the case for many. :imbar

I don't know about the OP but I do sit in the first row of all my classes and it still drives me nuts. I get that it's a personal thing of mine but man it drives me so crazy I will sit there envisioning myself taking the pen and stabbing it in someones eye :stone

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice & Palliative Care, Oncology, M/S.

I had to laugh reading this because I had the same situation today. People packing up 10 minutes before class is over, pens, loud fingernails on keyboards...

and those 4-color pens??? They all need to be blown up. Everyone on the planet has one and the clicking from switching between colors drives me nuts after two hours straight of listening to it. LOL

I have two uncapped pens plus an uncapped highlighter if I need it. It's quicker for me that way anyways. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't have so much trouble with the highlighter thing or pens being a distraction. My biggest problem in the beginning of this semester was people constantly talking during lecture. They would sit there and have full fledged conversations while the teacher was giving class. When they take an exam and fail it they sit there and wonder why. I'll tell you why!!! If they'd shut there mouths while class was going on and actually paid attention just maybe some of that information that the teacher is spitting out would stick to their pea sized brains!!! :angryfire Uggghhh....Sorry, lol I had to vent.:imbar ha ha ha....So yeah after a month of that and not doing so hot on my patho exam I opted to move to the front. I got an A on the following exam. Sitting in the front works wonders for me. If you don't sit in the front now I'd recommend you do that. You will see an improvement in your concentration during class which will then be reflected in your grades.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This has gone on all semester. We're in one of those weird 16 week classes when up until now every class has been 8-10 weeks. I'm seriously just sick and tired of being with the same people all the time when last year things were changed up every so often. I normally don't complain but really, enough is enough. I'm not super angry, just frustrated.

Lecture day used to be my favorite because it was a quiet time to just sit back and learn, but now I'm counting down the weeks until this class is over. Only 4 weeks, plus a day the week of Thanksgiving!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion