Most of us have been taught how to be respectful in the classroom. We understand what it means to show professors respect by sitting up close, disengaging from phones and maintaining engagement. Yet, too often, it seems people forget about their classmates.
Almost all of us are paying to go to college. We’re here because we want an education, a degree and to figure out a plan for our lives. Lectures are a big part of that. Some of my favorite classes I’ve taken since arriving on campus are lectures where professors have inspired me through their ability to talk uninterrupted about their passions, occasionally pausing for questions when necessary.
It is important to understand what kind of class you’re in when determining how you should act. Lectures are for the professors to educate. They are planned from start to finish and will usually have time for breaks to ask questions. Other courses might be more conversation-centric, allowing for students to almost dictate the direction the class takes, but attempting to converse with your professor or other classmates during a lecture derails what the professor has taken the time to prepare and takes away from your classmates’ learning experiences.
I might have just picked a bad batch when it comes to lectures this year, but too often I’ll walk into my 80-to-100-person lecture hall and have one or two of my classmates completely detract from the class by confusing lectures for a Socratic seminar.
To put it plainly, a lecture is not for conversing with a professor. Asking questions when something needs to be understood or coherent enough is permissible, but interjecting your thoughts or examples into the lecture is distracting and unnecessary. Essentially, you have moved the focus away from the topic of interest and onto yourself.
I’ve seen looks of bitter annoyance cross my classmates’ faces countless times as singular students have interjected time and time again, knowing their interjections take time away from learning what we all have paid for.
There’s a ton of nuance to making your voice heard during a lecture. Asking questions when you have them is good, but always raise your hand. If the professor doesn’t immediately answer it, they’ll typically ask you to save it for a bit later, and more often than not, it’ll be answered before you get the chance to ask.
The main point of focus is just don’t detract from your professor’s lecture or your classmates’ learning. Lectures are a university’s way of getting the course to as many people as possible so it should never feel like it’s revolving around one student’s curiosities. There are courses based on discussion, but even if your chosen course is not, professors have office hours for the specific purpose of one-on-one instruction or guidance.
Be respectful of everyone in the lecture — classmates and professors. We’re all paying to be here, so we should all have the same experience.
Logan Adams is a sophomore studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Logan know by tweeting him @LoganA_NBA.
