The end of my first semester at university brings immeasurable joy in leaving certain overeager students behind. Seriously — what the hell. I thought we left sucking up to teachers and reciting entire textbooks in high school.
Don’t get me wrong, I am entirely one for buttering up teachers: striking up conversations which happen to shift the mark of your last paper, or staying behind after class in hopes for a few pointers on upcoming tests. But this can be done just as effectively without interrupting class time.
Already annoying in high school, the university’s teacher’s pet morphed into the unbearably outspoken student. They seem to be dead-set on making you pull your hair out and leave Zoom lectures to vent your frustrations by cooking a full meal.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being eager to learn. As students, we pay thousands of dollars every semester to do exactly this. It’s the way certain students go about learning that grinds my fucking gears.
You might as well rip a page from your textbook each time someone speaks for so long your teacher has to interject. A simple question gets unpacked in a 10 minute tirade, and their lexicon — gaudy and embellished — is just the cherry on top of the cake.
We need less students who undermine professors for their own ego and esteem. Then, instead of questioning whether we should hit them with the nearest encyclopedia, we can start thinking of questions relevant to the course material.
