Lesson #3: How to Avoid Being “That Person” in Class

And we gon find you.

Immediately upon reading the title of this post, you thought of someone. A particular name or face popped into your head, and you inwardly groaned. You had the sudden urge to throw a textbook across the room or invest in some chloroform. But fear not, my fellow college-goers! This post is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of such people. I have listed some helpful tips to avoid being “that person”. So tell your kids, tell your wife, and tell your husband, ‘cause I’m informing everyone about this.

 

1. Raising Your Hand

So you know the answer to the professor's question. You have a relevant story to share with the class. Good for you! Feel free to participate and both better your education and possibly enlighten your classmates. However... That does NOT mean that you must sit with your hand raised during the professor's lecture, impairing the view of those sitting behind you, for ten whole minutes. Unless your professor is blind or incredibly oblivious, THEY SEE YOU. They are attempting to educate your tiny brain, so put your hand down and listen. It's probably on the next test, and you're not taking notes. Is your question that important? I doubt it.

2. Offering Irrelevant Information

This point may be paired with #1; if you are going to raise your hand and share something with the class, please double check that what you have to say is:

• relevant - in some way - to the discussion.
• not being said in a pathetic attempt to impress the professor.
• not being said to try to improve your current academic reputation.
• respectful towards others.
• something that can from a credible source.
• not something that you just made up a few minutes ago. 

3. Working in groups

In the future, I will create a post entirely dedicated to group projects (and how close to hell they usually become), but I will skim the surface and address the dreaded spontaneous in-class group work:  Group work is just that - working in a group with equal participation. It is NOT an opportunity for you to either:  a) become a Hitler-like dictator and delegate what each person may or may not do, or b) leave the project to the "smart kid" in the group. If your name is going on that paper, you better have contributed to it.


4. Dear Adult Students...

I don't mean to be insensitive. I really don't. If you're ambitious enough to go back to school and get your degree later in life, more power to you. You have every right to chase after your dreams. HOWEVER...

• We know you have kids. We also know that you love those kids (as you should). But please, please, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF PEDAGOGY... Stop inserting your kids into every single subject known on the planet. I'm sure Timmy is an absolute delight, but do we really need to hear about him losing his first tooth? Playing with matchbox cars? Taking an hour-long nap yesterday? Eating oatmeal this morning? .......If you're wondering what the answer is, it's no.
• If you have taken part in the profession being studied in this particular class (e.g. a seasoned teacher taking classes for educators), please realize that just because you have some experience under your belt, that does not make you God. Far from it, actually. Also, if you say, "Well, when I was a substitute..." one more time, I'm going to chuck all ten of our textbooks for the class at your face. I get it. You used to teach.Whoop-dee-doo.
• We are adults. Although there might be a 20+ age gap between us, we're still adults. That means that we deserve to be treated like a co-worker rather than your daughter's best friend or the babysitter. We are students in a professional setting. Unless you have written a book on pedagogy, attended several conventions for educators, and spoke with the Secretary of Education... You are on the same exact level as we are. You're no higher than any of us. (By the way, we're not "kids", thankyouverymuch.)

 5. How to Answer a Question

Now that you know when to ask/answer a question, I'll explain how to answer as well. This is probably the most important point in this post, so take notes:

• Keep it simple, stupid. No, really. Your answer should not take longer than 1 minute to complete. If you continue to talk for any longer, you're just rambling and you're being obnoxious. Just summarize your answer and say it. (Note: This rule may be dismissed in a few cases, such as wasting time to delay a quiz/discussion/exam or to appease the professor if they seem annoyed with the lack of participation.)
• Use simple words. You are not a thesaurus. When answering a question, speak as if you were conversing with a classmate. Don't try to use big, flowery words to impress the professor/other students/yourself. You sound ridiculous, and you're not fooling anyone. (And for Pete's sake, if you are going to use those big words, use them correctly to spare me from rolling my eyes.)
• Answer Productively. Don't restate what the professor just said. Don't try to "elaborate" on what your peers have already said (which, 99% of the time, is just restating whatever they said). Before you decide to share with the class, make sure what you have to say is worthwhile. Otherwise, resist the urge. You'll keep my blood pressure at a reasonable level.

I hope this helps! Oh, and one more thing... If you still aren't able to think of someone who can be classified as "that person", IT'S YOU.