My annoying hangups in the classroom.

[Nibbler]

I'm back in school pursuing a degree in biology.

Our large lecture class is divided with a center aisle bisecting the room. On the left are 8 or 9 rows of conference style tables and chairs. On the right are 8 or 9 rows of tables and chairs.

The professor handed the left side of the room, first row, a sign-in sheet to let go through the class during the lecture. The idea is to send it all the way through the left side of the room to the back, and have it circle back up on the right side of the room. That way, everyone sees the sign in sheet, job done.

However!

The sheet made it back 4 rows (half way back) where the guy sitting on an aisle seat handed it across the aisle to the other side of the room. And he did this even though behind him were still like 4 more rows of people who hadn't signed it yet.

I sat there in amazement at how he could do such a nonsensical thing. Do one side of the room first, and it will make its way back up to the front on the right. How easy is that? Now the whole system is messed up and we have a mismatch of rows--half the large class--who'll never see the sign in sheet because it won't return that way now.

I sat there thinking about it while also trying to pay attention to the lecture. But the back of the left side and front of the right side of the room got all messed up. That's half the class of data collection that guy screwed up. And it never circled its way back up to those who got cut off.

When lecture was over, the professor said to make sure to sign in. Everyone was like, "Where did it go?!"

Ugh. I paid way too much attention to that damn sign in sheet that day.

By the way, I was lucky enough to see it when it got to me on the right. I was far enough back.

 

[duke of new york]

Skip class every other day for the rest of the semester, claim you were there every day, and cite this incident when asked why you didn't sign in.

 

[ProxyAmenRa]

They mark attendance? rofl

 

[Cognisant]

Stand up, point at the guy, yell "Dumbass".

Feel proud of that one moment for the rest of your life.

 

[ObliviousGenius]

Post 200!

Hahaha. This is EXACTLY the same thing that used to happen in my Dramatic Narrative class. The seating was positioned in the same way you described and the sign-in sheet would be passed in the same order you described... that is, until that one person screws up the entire rotation! It always irks me because they will sign the sheet, then look up and say "Did you sign this yet?" I'll say yeah (stupid) I just signed it, it goes THAT way. I'll usually just watch the sign-in sheet be passed around until someone messes up and it always happens smh.

 

[Moocow]

They mark attendance? rofl

Unfortunately they do this at my university too, even in classes reserved for seniors...

Stand up, point at the guy, yell "Dumbass".

Feel proud of that one moment for the rest of your life.

lol
It has to be perfectly vindictive too. You are deeply, personally offended at the error.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

I would totally make the sign in sheet disappear on a daily basis and sit in a different spot every day to see how long I could pull it off. Just casually sit it on the table acting like you need to write something down, then pull it toward you and plop a folder or notebook on top then *poof*

 

[Dapper Dan]

Yeah some of my classes did this. Even in smaller classes, the paper would never circulate in any sensible pattern. Generally the teacher would get the paper back halfway through the lecture and ask if anyone still needed to sign it.

It's not worth it to stress out over stuff like this. People don't pay attention, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just make sure you get on the sheet.

 

[Nibbler]

Last week, the first row guy has taken to handing it directly across the aisle. So far it seems as though everyone has sense enough to keep it moving properly that there hasn't been a problem because of it.

We have like 100 people in lecture. Last week the first row KEPT the sign in sheet until the very last 5 minutes. I barely got to sign it before 50 people had to rush to the back to sign it in a mess of people while the next class of 100 people piled into the room.

I will never get it.

But I will say I'm not upset enough to stand up pointing and yelling. However, I am privately amusing enough to myself to imagine it's happening:

Imagining all hell breaking loose as dude gets up to scream, "YOU IDIOT!" , the professor (a really nice guy) screams to sit down or get out . Papers start to fly, dogs start to bark, women are gasping , some crying, some men shouting at the screamer , others screaming at the original dummy . A brawl breaks out in the 5th & 6th rows left , chicks are making out (sorry, no emoticon), and about 10 people sitting there completely unaware of what is happening . Dudes start making out in the brawl, and the obviously geeky smart, but overly chatty young lady in the other front row who keeps interrupting the professor in lectures is still making amusing comments about the overhead slides .

But soft! The sign in sheet glides through the air my way and lands in front of me, and I am happy to note with a big check mark: PRESENT!