Naughty unruly students who use cell phones in class

[Ludmila]

The funny thing is, Germans have the name of being much more polite and formal in their speech - but they say "du" (the informal word) to their parents (people close to you) and the further away people are you adress them with "Sie".

We employ the formal and informal forms of addressing in Russian the same. But if you wish to be rude towards some strangers you will use informal address. I use the formal speech during talking with my friends as the joyful banters. It was differently many years ago. But those questions trouble much older persons than me.

To go back to ENT: I just remember that in the Dutch subtitles T'Pol is using the formal "u" to Archer and the informal "jij" to Trip. Which makes perfectly sense.

For me the most important in the speech is its tone. As a result I do not remember as T'Pol's talks with Archer and Trip was translated. But I'll have lunch now. It is a good occasion to rewatch some Enterprise VHS.

[Bether6074]

I know I sound cranky, but it's not reallly that awful a problem. I enjoy teaching. I put a lot of effort into trying to make class interesting and involving -- but having that kind of competition for their attention is pretty irritating.

You're entitled to feel cranky about this. (You know my email if you need to vent.) Being a teacher is very important. What you do is very important and no doubt has a big impact on the students. I'm sure there are some in the class who very much appreciate the learning experience and the effort you're putting in. Those types of things might seem to go unnoticed, but they remember. Just last night I ran into Abby's music teacher at a school event. She's been at the school since I was about 7 years old. I told her that she'd been my teacher a long, long time ago and that I still remembered the "Heads Up" song we sang every morning... word for word. Kids aren't always so good about showing it but they do notice. Well, at least some of them do. If you can't take the phones away from them, you probably can't do much to control their behavior. If their grades suffer from it, it likely reflects on their behavior and lack of attentiveness in class and doesn't really reflect on you. I'm sure you do a great job!

[justTripn]

I have that fantom cell phone vibration thing where I think my phone's going off and it's not... in fact I get it in the opposite leg from where my phone really is a lotta times!

About three years ago I went through this thing where I could hear my cell phone ring (it played a little tune) when it wasn't ringing. I had to actually touch the phone to convince myself it wasn't ringing. I was very reluctant to admit this to anyone and then one day my boys announced that something similiar happens to them after they play playstation too long. They can hear the song even when its not on. The phone thing would happen to me when I was anxious about the boys and hoping they would call. And then a couple other friends admitted they experienced the same phenomenon with hearing the cell phone right when it wasn't ringing.

And NO I haven't heard anyother sounds that weren't really there.

[panyasan]

I have the same thing, justTripn . I also hear sounds when they are there, but think it's the oven- we were like "did we bake/cook something in the oven" - but it was actually the sound of a new toy my daughter got for St. Nicolas.

[justTripn]

I have not contributed to this conversation because I would be something of a hypocrite to side with Alelou. In college, my attitude was "I paid my money, now teach me. Whether I learn it or not, that's my problem to worry about." (I know, it wasn't very diplomatic or social way to view things). My husband recalls that we shared one class together in college (we were just friends at that point) and he says that I would take the seat at the very front of the class in front of the professor and put my head down and appear to sleep through class, lol . . . (I fact I was only resting and was actually following the argument for the most part, lol . . .) So my future husband pulls me aside later and asks, what are you doing? I explained my philosophy of the student-teacher relationship (stated above) and he was appalled and said, "Who is going to write your recommendations for a job or graduate school?" I had never thought that far ahead, lol . . . So my future husband did introduce me to some professors, who he was actually buddies with (including the one teaching that class, Professor Mouw), trying to help me out a little.

Oh, and I did teach economics in community college and I told the students, if you can learn the material without coming to class more power to you! So, at least I was consistent.

Ann

[Distracted]

I, on the other hand, obsessively attended classes even when the material was so mind-blowingly simple that I could have just read the textbook and then taken the final. I can't imagine how much time I could have saved in high school if I'd just been able to do that instead of enduring the lectures, but my OCDness would not allow me to cut class.(Me? Break the rules? Perish the thought!) I do think that attending classes was a valuable social exercise for me in high school, though. Otherwise I wouldn't have seen another human being unless they just happened to wander into my presence as I sat there obsessively reading.

Don't get me wrong. The math and science classes in college were a challenge and the discussions in literature classes were usually entertaining. And the note-taking, etc was good practice for medical school, since at that point I was scrambling to catch up with all of the students who'd graduated with undergrad degrees in stuff like Organic Chemistry and Microbiology. I had a French degree. Yeah. I was a tad behind the learning curve when I started. And then I had a baby. Good times.

[WarpGirl]

I'm like you Dis heck I took a history mid-term the day after having all four impacted wisdom teeth removed. I got a C and I was completely high on Vicodin. But I went. Even if my face did look like a stuffed a baseball in my mouth.

[Escriba]

This is a bit unrelated to the topic, but I've never understod the American College system. I mean, all that "major in" an "minor in" thing. It's like you spend two years in College doing... something and then you decide the career you want. I'm confused

Here is just you pass High School and then decide the career and you only study that (except if you choose more than one career, but nobody does that, except if you are studying "social graduate", which is a complete silly career that even monkeys could study.

[WarpGirl]

Well if you "Major" in a subject, it means you have to take certain classes to get a degree in that subject. Same thing with a "Minor" only your "Minor" gives you something to fall back on. At least that's how they put it to me 10 years ago.

[Distracted]

Heh. I went to class once immediately after hand surgery (I cut my thumb and bagged a tendon. Long story.) My notes for that day were hilarious. A few words, and then a wavy line straggling down a few lines as I fell asleep. Then a few more words and another wavy line...

Warpgirl, I know what you mean about not wanting to miss a test, since I took one in med school in the hospital about 12 hours after giving birth to my first baby. I was sort of obsessive about that. It's come back to bite me though, since now I spend half my time at work trying to convince people NOT to go to class when they're sick. Sort of hypocritical, I suppose... but at least having a baby isn't contagious.

And Escriba, the "major" and "minor" system allows us to keep our options open. For example, if I hadn't had to get out of college in three years because the college was closing (another long story), I would have ended up with a BA in French and a minor in Biology. My plan was to apply to med school AND take the GRE in French to prepare for grad school, then decide once I'd applied which direction to go in. So I didn't actually have to make up my mind about whether I was going to be an MD or a PhD until after I graduated. I didn't end up with an official "minor" in Biology because I was short one 3 hour seminar class, but I got the heck out of Dodge when I found out that my college was closing its doors. Fortunately I got accepted to med school anyway. I did okay on the GRE, but I decided to go to med school. I'm still not sure it was the right choice but I'm kinda stuck with it now. What swung my decision was the fact that I was engaged to a med student by then. Traveling around the world working as a translator wasn't an option any more. It was a pretty unrealistic plan anyway.

[WarpGirl]

My plan was to major in Art History, minor in English Lit and French. I either wanted to work in an Art Museum, or write about Art. But now I'd just like to take English and be a writer, I don't see it happening anytime soon though.

[justTripn]

D., that translator plan wasn't completely far fetched. The editor of another journal here at the office is taking off a year to work for the OECD in Paris as a bilingual English/French editor. It is a dream job. She is going with her husband.

[Escriba]

Yeah, but why couldn't you go to the med school from the beginning? If I've understood it correctly (which, you know, could not be the case ) you first graduate and then choose the career. While here is: you have 18, what do you want to study? Ehhhh... Laws? OK, Laws, 5 years in college only studying laws. If you want to change your career you must change of College (and always if that is possible.)

[WarpGirl]

Here in the US you don't have to change schools to change what you want to get a degree in. Do they do that everywhere else?

[Escriba]

Well, when I said college, I meant the Faculty. For example I studied in the Laws Faculty of the Basque University (which, as a whole, you could take as a College.)