Befuddled

The one thing that truly extends beyond my comprehension is people who talk and goof off during lecture. I’m sure everyone has had one of these people in a class, or maybe are one yourself. I can even admit guilt of occasionally “disrupting” a class. I can understand taking a class with one of your friends so as to have someone for a study partner. I can understand quickly and quietly catching up on a weekend’s events with someone you know…a few whispers never hurt anyone. But, then there’s taking it too far. This is the person who completely disregards the otherwise undisturbed silence (or even the hushed murmur) of a room to noisily tell a joke, and laugh the loudest at it. Not only is this disrespectful to the professor, but it disrespects other students. It’s hard to focus when someone else’s chatter keeps interrupting my learning. I really cannot grasp why these people even bother coming to class. No professor takes attendance and most class notes are posted on the Internet. Personally, I go to lecture to get a clearer or more full understanding of course content, or simply because I’m passionate about the subject. This seems to me the only logical reason to go to a class, or to take a class in general. Inattention makes coming to a class pointless, and hating the material makes a class redundant. Why pay to learn self-perceived “boring” facts and ideas, why pay to be indifferent? This is NOT high school! Nobody is required to complete mandatory classes to advance to the next level of education. Nobody is making you take a class you know you won’t like. Or, perhaps you took a class that seemed interesting, but turned out to be monotonous and tedious….still, why would you cheat yourself out of your own money? And if you really can’t contain yourself, stay at home, get some extra sleep, and save the rest of us the trouble.