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Commentary
Class etiquette raises questions
By Kristen Kubisiak
Published:
Thursday, March 6, 2003
Kristen J. Kubisiak -- Staff Essay
Are America's college students plagued by underarm body odor?
The reluctance of most students to raise their arms in a classroom setting would cause any deodorant company to speculate. But it wasn't always so.
When America's youngest students enter the classroom, many of them are not sure how to behave. For this reason, their teachers and guardians inform them about the proper classroom behavior. These lessons in the fundamentals of manners start with the very broad concepts of politeness: don't pull hair, hit, scream or call others names; then as the students get older, they become more fine tuned: listen to the teacher, speak when spoken to, raise your hand and respect your elders. There is a point in nearly every ones life when they have been assembled into a line or gathered into a group and told to be quiet and listen. And they have.
For the most part, students in the primary and elementary grades are able to grasp the concept that there is certain etiquette required in a classroom. Teachers had the benefit of reinforcing these classroom ideals by doling out punishments; writing names on the board, giving check marks, taking away recess or assigning detention. Sure, every once and a while children become rowdy, but for the most part students know there is a particular behavior expected of them in the classroom that is different from on the playground.
Unfortunately sometime around high school, these well established behaviors are challenged, sometimes by students, other times by teachers.
Students behaving disorderly may feel a sense of rebellion. Class clowns seem to dance on the thin line between good conduct and good humor to gain the acceptance of classmates.
Well-intentioned teachers may encourage students to speak without being called upon to instill in them a deeper sense of maturity.
Meanwhile, other teachers are not quite ready to empower those members of the community who still live at home, are not old enough to drink or vote, have curfews and (some) aren't even old enough to drive. These teachers try to enforce the etiquette instilled by previous teachers in other institutions.
After graduating high school, students are feeling at the height of their independence. Many move away from home, get jobs or pursue additional schooling at a community college, technical school or state university.
Students pursuing secondary education show they have a willingness to learn, and no doubt a willingness to share and engage with their professors and peers. A wonderful thing.
But, there is one problem.
That classroom etiquette students were taught so early on has almost completely been dispensed of. The reason for this is unclear. Whether students feel that they are adults now, and rules or common courtesy no longer apply, or because of reinforcement by professors that certain behavior is now acceptable, the hand raising trend has definitely gone out of style.
In classroom "discussions" students no longer pause and wait for a student to conclude his or her thought, rather, if a student says something contrary to another student's beliefs, he or she will interject. Hand raisers will be left hanging. Those who raise a hand while another person is speaking are less impolite than the interrupters, "blurters" or interjectors, but they are still sending a message that "I have already thought about what I am going to say, which means I am not giving you my complete attention." Teachers encourage this kind of rude behavior by ignoring students with hands raised, or just allowing students to interrupt one another. Instead of a discussion, it becomes a contest of who can speak the fastest or the loudest.
Students are being shortchanged two-fold: they are losing the opportunity to speak their peace without interruption, and they are losing the opportunity to gain the honest viewpoint of another peer.
There is a reason students were taught classroom etiquette, and why it is abandoned when students are at their intellectual peaks and have the most interesting things to share is a mystery.
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