Move Down! Move Down!

I have three psychology lectures a week. Monday is cognitive psychology where we talk about the brain. Most recently we've been talking about memory. It's actually been helpful because one week we talked about studying and how to remember information for tests and exams better. Tuesday is social psychology where we talk about how we perceive people and why we do certain things in social groups. Social psychology happens to be my favourite, but only because I don't like the lecturer on Thursdays. Thursday is animal psychology and as I said, the lecturer isn't my favourite. She actually kind of bores me on a subject that I love. It's hard to do, but she manages it. But, for the past two weeks we've had a guest lecturer and she's been wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed her two lectures. Some of the other students may have a different opinion than I do though, because she had this radical idea and decided to activate it during her lectures.

The psychology lectures are all in a big lecture theatre due to the amount of people who take first year psychology (everyone thinks "easy A"). And, as in all other subjects, attendance dwindles after the first two or three weeks of term. Attendance especially drops when it's a subject that very few people take and interest in like Animal Psychology. Attendance will drop even more if the lecturer is kind of boring as our normal lecturer is. So, out of all the students who are enrolled in PS1509 only a small fraction show up. Maybe 60 students...and that number is optimistic.

Now, this guest lecturer for Psychology asked us to do something that no other lecturer had. She asked us to sit in the front 10 rows of the lecture theatre. *GASP!* She said she wasn't going to use the microphone so she would prefer all of us to sit near the front (I also have a sneaking suspicion that she believes that students who sit near the front are more likely to pay attention). Because of my hearing problems (I gots ears full of wax that inhibits my hearing) and my vision problems (I have pretty bad eyesight) I generally sit near the front anyway. I like being able to understand what the lecturer is saying. I mean, I am paying for this so why would I not want to pay attention? Most people picked up their belongings and made their way to the front rows. Some though, packed up their belongings and just left. One couple I remember distinctively.

She asked everyone to move to the front last Thursday and these two stayed at the very back. She looked at them and said, "Come on now." And they just sat there starring at her in disbelief and defiance. After she asked another time they stood up and left. Can you believe that!? I mean, really!? That is what I call rude and if either of my parents (especially my mom) caught me doing something that rude to any teacher I would have been punished for my rudeness.

I've always been under the impression that once you get to University level you should want to be at school. No one is forcing you to go to school, so isn't it by your own choice that you come and sit and learn? If they don't want to be at class so much that when asked to come sit at the front instead of at the very back of the lecture theatre then why are they coming to University at all? I'm here because I want to learn and I enjoy learning new things and I don't have time to waste on people who are here for "shits and giggles." Don't get me wrong have fun, but also have respect for a person who has the title "Dr." before their name.

Also, they missed this video...so their loss I guess.