Every teacher has his or her pet peeves: the “he-can’t-hear-because-he-has-his-back-turned” whispers, the clicks of a pen, the kid who can’t even remember the date on Valentine’s Day, the artwork at the bottom of the trash can, or maybe the never-ending “You stole my seat!” controversy. Some students spend years wondering which of these buttons they should never press, so I decided to try to decipher the unwritten code of conduct once and for all.
Believe it or not, a great number of teachers’ pet peeves are computer-related. Whether it be staring at the screen during an important lesson or forgetting a charger, the computer creates a whole new genre of annoyances. When asked to share some of her in-school pet peeves, Ms. Cupp said, “The worst are the computer-related excuses. ‘I left my charger at my dad’s house,’ ‘My printer ran out of ink,’ ‘This document can only be opened on my desktop.’ Just fess up. Say, ‘I didn’t do it’ because, regardless of the story you give, the result is going to be the same.” Dr. Burgess touched on one of the most prominent computer issues: the loss of the charger (need a new one?). After describing what it is like to hear a throng of ‘Can I borrow your charger?’ whispers right as class is about to begin, Dr. Burgess raised up a nearby charger above her head and thrust it forward in a swinging motion. “I just want to pick up the charger and bang it on your head!” she shouted sarcastically.
Dr. Burgess later added, “But my number one pet peeve is when students stare at their computers rather than one another during discussion. I’m getting more and more fed up with that because I think it [eye contact] is such an important part of communication.”
“I’m not anti-computer,” she clarified, “Just stay engaged. I want students to listen more to each other. So lift your head, meet someone else’s eyes, and listen.”
Dr. Burgess is certainly not alone in her pro-eye contact thoughts. Mme Toussaint described her frustration “when students have their laptops open and I know they’re not listening.” I cannot imagine that they are the only teachers who see the flaws in that captivating LED screen. Thoreau said, “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.” This is something you perhaps may have heard had you not been staring at your computer screen in English.
Ms. Gelb and Mme Toussaint agree that coming to class unprepared is a no-no. Mme Toussaint said, “They say, ‘I don’t have my book.’ That’s kind of annoying. And then they sit without anything in front of them.” She added that if a student does forget her book, she should take out a piece of paper or a computer and take notes. Otherwise, she misses the entire 45 minutes. “You can’t go back home and remember everything we did,” she said.
It is especially important to take notes on Latin noun charts because Mr. Joffe gets aggravated “when students mistake the neuter accusative plural with the nominative first declension singular.” And there are so many different noun forms that it would be impossible to remember them all without writing them down!
Remember to also remain attentive and follow instructions outside of the classroom. In Physical Education, remember to push yourself and to put away the equipment, for Coach Vanessa gets aggravated, “when the equipment isn’t put back where it belongs, when students don’t give their best, and when Coach Heidi doesn’t put the nets away.” Our librarian, Ms. Goddu, also shared some of her pet peeves. Although she said she has not been at Hewitt long enough to have any specific complaints, she said, “In general, I think following directions makes life easier for everyone. It relieves the pressure of both those who must enforce the rules and those who must abide by them.”
Mr. Gruenberg, when asked to share some of the annoying things that we students do, initially responded, “Nothing. You’re all wonderful people,” but he later admitted that there are a few things that, you could say, gently push his buttons. “It bothers me if I ask a student to stop doing something that’s against the rules and she tells me why she’s doing it. As an example, I’ll say ‘Please stop talking,’ and the response is, ‘But I was just telling her something.’
On a more serious note, he added, “The one thing that most annoys me is when Hewitt students speak ill of our own community. I think we have a phenomenal community, and I think we should respect that.”
So whether it is memorizing your declension charts, reminding Coach Heidi to put the nets away, or keeping your thoughts on the iciness of the frozen yogurt and other various complaints to yourself, there are tons of precautionary measures that you can take to avoid distressing teachers.
And please, readers, if you’ve learned anything from this article, always bring a charger to Dr. Burgess’s class.