Etiquette is the lubrication that keeps our interactions reasonably harmonious. It is "situation dependent." Behavior that is perfectly acceptable among friends might not be acceptable in church, for example. It has come to my attention that a number of students are unaware of classroom customs at a college. These things are important to us all, both to prevent disturbance to others working hard to do well and to prevent embarrassment. This college is open to enrollment by any serious student. But the taxpayers of the State of Washington, who pay for 80% or so of the total cost of running this institution, did not intend that we create a day care facility for silly children who don't understand that they are out of High School and that the rules have changed.
Occasionally "poor impulse control" can constitute a documented disability protected under federal law. Please let me know if this is the case for you, if possible in advance of the start of class, so I can design the class that quarter around your issue.
For the rest, and at risk of seeming a hairy ugly "Miss Manners," I outline below a few key themes. These should be committed to memory by those who do not already know them. These refer to "public" offences. You are warned that I will address any blatant violation firmly and directly at the moment it occurs. We will chat about the rude behavior and discuss changes that will work better for me. If necessary we will talk about the specifics of classroom dynamics, what we are trying to accomplish in the class and so forth. While all this palaver is going on, whatever topic we had planned to discuss that day will be added to the homework.
1. Do not chat with thy neighbor during class.
Most instructors, myself included, don't mind if you whisper to your neighbor something like "Is this from section 2.2?" Or "Did he just make a factor of 2 mistake in that last step?" When the group is focussed on a topic, individual conversations between students, even about that topic, are disruptive and rude and will be dealt with firmly.
2. Do not show up late.
If you must disturb the class in this way on a given day (stuck in traffic or something) you should be unobtrusive about your entry.
3. Do not get up and walk out halfway through class.
It disturbs people and gives the unmistakable impression that you don't respect the class, the other students and the instructor. Taking a cell phone call or answering a page do not constitute emergencies. If you cannot follow this rule do not take my class. Exceptions will be made for documented disabilities.
4. Do not cut the instructor off at the end of class.
The instructor has the right to finish his or her thought at the end of the class period and conclude the class in an orderly manner without people standing up and walking out. (There is a separate list of rules for instructors. On that list is a rule that says "Do not routinely keep students more than a minute or two after the official end of the period.")
5. Do not ask the instructor to go over again material you missed because you skipped a class.
6. All cell phones and pagers must be turned off during class.
This has become a real problem. If you forget this one and a beeper or phone goes off I will expect you to turn it off instantly and apologize to me and also directly to your classmates.
These rules are subject to modification and expansion by individual instructors. When in doubt, ask the instructor.
Most instructors will accept violations of rules 2 and 3 (and 5 in office hour) in favor of a student with a very good reason. Examples of bad reasons to ask for exceptions are too numerous to begin listing. Examples of a good reason are : a) difficult day care arrangements b) some employment scheduling problems c) sick child d) other emergencies.
Once again, if an exception is being made for you, try to be as unobtrusive about it as possible.
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