In class there are often kids students following along to the lectures in their own different ways. Some choose to listen and take notes. Some choose to listen and type notes. Some choose to listen and follow along on their laptops with the lecture on both the large projector screen and their laptop in front of them. Then there are the ones who choose to listen to their iPods or instant message or play video games or watch movies. I really don’t understand why the later group comes to class at all. It must be nice to be smart enough to not have to pay attention in class and still be able to pull the grades needed to pass. However, it seems this group is somewhat disrespectful to the professors and very often immature in class. Here is an example of a situation that occurred this week to remind me that not all of these children students should be doctors:
Professor: Type I Collagen does which of the following? A - forms fibrils through intermolecular cross-links, B - is assembled into triple helices in the extracellular space or C - is a homotrimer?
Class suggests the answer is C.
Professor: No, no, no! Collagen is not a homo at all.
Future Physicians: Burst into laughter.
Professor: Shakes his head and moves onto the next question.
5 minutes pass - Professor lecturing on another topic.
Professor: Nobody in this land could have Scurvy because there are so many good fruits around.
Future Physicians: Hahaha!
Professor: Clean up your minds class. FDA says we should each be having a bit of fruit everyday.
Future Physicians: Roaring laughter as the professor tries to carry on the lecture.
Christen (thinking to herself): Are these people serious?! I can not believe how immature these people are….. Do they not realize that the prof is getting annoyed?!
Maybe I’m oversensitive or a stiff. Maybe I’m just grumpy because it’s 7:30 in the morning and I am so NOT a morning person. I don’t have that many gay friends and it’s not that I’ve really experienced much prejudice first hand. But for some reason, I was really bothered by this morning’s classroom behavior. I couldn’t help but wonder what these supposedly intelligent people will be like in practice when their first gay patient comes in for help… or a severely obese patient…. or a patient with AIDS or STDs or whatever sensitive and personal situations that we are undoubtedly going to experience. I just hope they learn to grow up and do so quickly. We are a few months away from beginning to see our first patients.
Kinda sad and this seems to be the new trend in many fields. No one can take anything seriously anymore. Make sure you bring a cinder block with you when you do rounds. You’ll need to strike people with it!
Comment by annmarie — January 28, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
With attitudes like that they won’t make it.
Comment by elle — January 29, 2008 @ 3:34 am
I don’t think you’re overly stiff. If the prof continued to make jokes, that’s one thing. If the prof is moving on and trying to lecture about serious material is just obnoxious. I hate taking classes where it’s constant stuff like that, but (unfortunately) I’ve also talked to many future and current PhD’s that were secret pigs (not the cute kind like you like:). I thought it was the byproduct of being in Psychology - guess not
Comment by Diana — January 29, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
my friends and i used to pass around the LA Times crossword puzzle for group completion in our row. but we were very discreet about it
. people watch movies?? really??
Comment by Rachael — January 31, 2008 @ 12:12 am