Nursing School Vent-Inconsiderate Classmates and Flighty instructor

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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?

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
the constant vibrating and clicking could definitely be annoying. i personally don't mind-it doesn't make it more difficult for me to concentrate. however i just wanted to add something else to this list. i don't know if this happens to you but: people eating smelly food! this girl was sitting next to me in bio the other day with a sandwich that smelt SO foul to me! the girl behind us thought it smelt good and even asked what it was and where she got it. thankfully, she finished soon after lecture began but it was nauseating... maybe it's good practice to start getting used to bad smells though...

I agree with that, I have a very sensitive sense and smell and have had to hold back many times, but I try not to complain about that because sometimes it's the only time some can eat, one girl was snacking on bell peppers once and I can't stand the smell. That was a rough class period LOL.

I don't hear the clicking most of the times when people text so it doesn't phase me. I sit in the front rows in all my class though and I would imagine those that are on their phone a lot during class sit further back because our instructors wouldn't allow someone up front they can see to be on their phone. I keep mine on silent in front of me on my desk and my light will flash if I got a call or text (I have a touch screen so all I have to do is touch it and can tell if it's an emergency or not)

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What the heck has happened to common courtesy these days.

That's exactly it. Common courtesy. When you're in a class with others who are trying to learn, be courteous. If you don't care about the material, and feel you can't get anything out of the class, so you sit there and text... don't come to class.

All of our classes have a no phone policy. We have breaks from lecture every hour, check your phone then.

My prereqs had no policy, so it was really bad. Does there really have to be a "policy" for people to be courteous to others?

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

No, sadly it is supposed to be taught at home from an early age but that doesn't always happen.

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

Bottom line is that all you can do is worry about yourself. If you feel its rude, then don't do it. If the professors have a problem with it, then they will say so.

The way I see it, is if someone is being that distracting to you, then ask them to please stop. Otherwise, grin and bear it.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Bottom line is that all you can do is worry about yourself. If you feel its rude, then don't do it. If the professors have a problem with it, then they will say so.

The way I see it, is if someone is being that distracting to you, then ask them to please stop. Otherwise, grin and bear it.

Well like I said, for me, play on your net, do whatever it is you need to do, just please don't click your pen over and over or tap the desk LOL

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Specializes in IMCU.

I am perfectly able to look after myself but it is up to the instructor to provide an appropriate learning environment.

Quite honestly, despite that they are adults, the people that do this sort of stuff in my classrooms happen to have nasty mouths on them -- not surprisingly. So no I am not going to ask them to stop (which creates even more distraction for others). I need to be in class for three more semesters with these people and work together in labs and clinicals with them.

But I will vent about it here.

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Wow, yeah, the texting/internet thing in class is incredibly rude and childish. At least the people capping their highlighters came to class to learn.

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How is texting distracting you?

It doesn't, but I can imagine how it could be to some people if the person was sitting next to them or something.

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Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it's not distracting or annoying, but the previous poster was pretty much expressing her annoyance in those of us that can't stand the pen clicking and tapping and whatever else that she didn't deam worthy of annoyance yet she had a list of those she did find annoying or distracting. I don't see how texting is anymore or any less annoying or distracting then someone behind you or next to you constantly clicking or tapping their pen or snapping their gum etc etc. all of it is distracting when you are trying to focus on learning. In fact I rather someone behind me quietly surfing the net or texting rather then doing something that is constantly making noise.

The only thing that personally distracts me is people carrying on conversations when I can hear what they are saying about last night's party or something. In my post I was stating things by which people could have their learning processes legitimately distracted (phones ringing and dinging from texts, talking, etc) . Feet shuffling? A pen click, seriously? The fact of the matter is if you can be distracted by someone using color-coding highlighters or shuffling their feet, you aren't very engaged with the material to begin with.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
The only thing that personally distracts me is people carrying on conversations when I can hear what they are saying about last night's party or something. In my post I was stating things by which people could have their learning processes legitimately distracted (phones ringing and dinging from texts, talking, etc) . Feet shuffling? A pen click, seriously? The fact of the matter is if you can be distracted by someone using color-coding highlighters or shuffling their feet, you aren't very engaged with the material to begin with.

I invite you to come to my classroom and sit next to me, I will continue to tap my pen repeatedly on my desk or constantly click my pen open and closed while you are trying to listen to the instructor in a large classroom where it can be hard to hear already, let's see if it doesn't distract you at all.

Please do not try to knock down others vents by saying the things they are venting are not legitimate distractions. Just because they are not distracting to YOU doesn't mean they aren't distracting. AGAIN everyone has the right to be able to listen to the instructor without the constant disruptions. I don't think anyone in this post talked about an OCCASIONAL foot shuffling or OCCASIONAL pen click. There is a difference.

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I invite you to come to my classroom and sit next to me, I will continue to tap my pen repeatedly on my desk or constantly click my pen open and closed while you are trying to listen to the instructor in a large classroom where it can be hard to hear already, let's see if it doesn't distract you at all.

Please do not try to knock down others vents by saying the things they are venting are not legitimate distractions. Just because they are not distracting to YOU doesn't mean they aren't distracting. AGAIN everyone has the right to be able to listen to the instructor without the constant disruptions. I don't think anyone in this post talked about an OCCASIONAL foot shuffling or OCCASIONAL pen click. There is a difference.

Well the OP, in her opener stated that she understood that the pen clicking was the alternations of colors to help facilitate their learning experience. Having graduated from a four year university sitting through classes such as Genetics and Organic Chem, I have sat with these visual learners before. Highlighter clicking is neither loud nor onerous. Furthermore, I would have no right to complain about the way they learn because they have just as much right to be there as I. When people are actually participating in the lecture and people distracted me I would simply move or suck it up. They're paying to be there too.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

It appears the point flew over, oh well. LOL

BTW maybe some people learn by talking to other classmates they are probably good multi taskers ;) I suppose you need to learn to suck it up and deal with it and not complain or vent, they paid for class to ;)

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