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<p>People like this bother me, too. And I’m a vegetarian!</p>
<p>The Big Ten Network did a show featuring a UM prof’s class this week. When a phone goes off in class and he hears it he has the student bring the phone to the front desk where he smashes it with a hammer. Don’t kniw if this really happens but it sure would get the point across.</p>
<p>I would like to know what professor that is before classes start tomorrow. O.O I think my phone has gone off in class once in the four years I have had a cell phone and with my luck the only time it happens in the next four would be with a professor that smashes my phone.</p>
<p>He taught history of sportswriting or something like that.</p>
<p>Taught HS for 7 years and have an allergy to raspberry/blackberry - anything. The odor alone makes me very nauseous. I can smell it a mile away (well, not quite). Each year I would nicely ask my students (almost all girls) to please not use those fragrances. I was lucky, they were good and the few times that they forgot they apologized. </p>
<p>However in the workplace I find that the teen employees just don’t “get it” about their tone of voice. Its often not what they say but how. I had a 45 min. conversation 2 weeks ago with a staff member about this very issue. When I repeated her comments in her tone of voice vs. another way to say it, she finally got it. I think. </p>
<p>As for the behaviors…if I had students who were not paying attention I would remind once, then if they zoned out, I did not repeat myself. I have heard that college kids feel they can do what they want b/c they are paying for it. Probably not entirely true, that student on huge FA or merit aid…but as a parent paying I sure expect my kids to listen up and be polite. What kind of employees are these students going to make one day?</p>
<p>My 16 year old sister works for my dad’s company and he lets her be so horrifically disrespectful that I really hope she never wants another job, because no one will take her. She is learning nothing from that experience whatsoever.</p>
<p>I don’t have an allergy to cigarette smoke, but it will sometimes trigger migraines. As a result, I am pretty unhappy when a classmate smokes and then comes into the classroom and sits near me. I tend to stake out my corner of the room and make sure it’s not near the regular smokers. OTOH, I am also not afraid to bring to bear a parental tone when I ask that someone like that not sit near me. :-)</p>
<p>I teach a freshmen undergrad class. Last year, near the start of the semester, a student’s phone went off in the middle of class. I am truly sympathetic, especially at the beginning because everyone is getting used to the new rules and students have so much going on at the beginning, and it is so easy to forget to turn your phone off. </p>
<p>But I was in a fun mood, and generally have good rapport with my students, so on a lark, as the student was picking up the phone to turn it off, I said, 'ooooh, can I get it?" She laughed and said sure and passed it to me. </p>
<p>So I said, “Hello, this is Sarah’s phone but she’s in class right now, may I take a message?” </p>
<p>“Uh, um, who is this? Is this, is this her mom?”</p>
<p>“No, no! I’m not her mom. I’m her professor. I’m teaching her 127 class right when you rang just now. But can I tell her you called?”</p>
<p>“Uh, its okay, …uh, is this really her professor?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, she passed me her phone. But hey, I’m glad you called. I was just asking the students a question but everyone looked stumped. Maybe you know the answer? You are welcome to join us. We were talking about…”</p>
<p>^ you are great, starbright. I love it. A friend of mine had that happen with her son, only SHE was the one calling when the professor answered the phone!!! She was mortified. Professor and Mom had a nice chat. Son learned his lesson to turn the phone off while in class…and I imagine the rest of the class did, too!!! Terrific way for you to handle it.
So…did the caller answer the question?</p>
<p>“Around my part of the world smokeless tobacco is a big thing (snuff). In other parts of the country it’s chewing tobacco, leaf or plug. Lots of people object to second-hand spit, too. Should we ban that in public because some people are repulsed?”</p>
<p>We ban littering. Seems like the same thing to me. If I were to chew gum and spit it out, that would be called littering and that’s not ok. Why is spitting after chewing tobacco any different?</p>
<p>In another thread, someone pointed out that a young girl attending Obama’s student lecture was busily texting away during his talk! Apparenty the camera zoomed in on her for quite a while.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>NOT that I condone that, but I think for many kids what they are experiencing is not real UNLESS they are texting about it (or talking to a friend about it on their cell phone.) When I’ve gone to concerts recently, I see a lot of that. Makes no sense to this old lady - I’d rather be immersed in the moment.</p>
<p>^ LOL, so true! There is a saying that if it’s not on Facebook, it did not happen…</p>
<p>When a student’s phone goes off in my class, I stop everything and dance. I’m like a white man version of Gene Gene the Dance Machine, with knees and elbows and fists and feet all doing their thing. I’m awesome.</p>
<p>Phones going off in college classes is part of the job.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, spitting on the ground is one thing (although you’d be hard-pressed to make a littering case in most instances). Spitting into a cup is another. But as I’m sure you know, that really wasn’t the point of my post. ;)</p>
<p>When I was a grad student teaching my first college music class, a friend and I were discussing students talking in class while a music example was playing. My friend told me she realized that the students were discussing the music, and so she let them talk softly for a few minutes before shushing them. I thought it was a valid point and discovered that her words of wisdom were true. Can’t fault students for trying to grasp the material - as long as they aren’t bothering anyone else. </p>
<p>That being said, whenever I had a student who seemed out of control, I would simply explain to the class that I don’t talk over someone else and that they would be responsible for learning the material on their own. Class over. Every class meeting after that was quiet. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing.</p>