Apathy vs. Attitude

VS.



In my time as a teacher, I have learned many things. One such lesson was reinforced this morning in my 8:00 class. I've learned I would rather have apathetic students than have students with attitude.

You see, an apathetic student usually doesn't disrupt class. He typically sits in the back of the room with this head on his arms and quietly snores his way through lectures. Although these habits may be irritating to me as a teacher, they are usually not disruptive to the students who sit close to the dozing student.

The student with attitude, however, may sit anywhere in the room - back, middle, front. This student make take many different forms, all of which are equally annoying. He may chat with the students around, making rude commentary on the lecture, or she may ask questions that are not relevant in a tone that is completely sarcastic. Unlike apathy, attitude is contagious. It tends to infect all the students in a 6 inch radius from the offending student.

One of my colleagues pointed out to me this morning that attitude ruins the teacher's day. It is a problem that I carry with me from class to class. If I have a student show attitude in my 8:00 class, it makes me very edgy in my 9:00 class. I think about the situation all day.

Apathetic students, however, may annoy me, but I don't think about them in every class.

So I guess my point is, if you are a student with attitude, you may want to check it at the door. Just a thought.