The Calm after a Classroom Panic

925 Words2 Pages

Name one good thing that happens when a teacher leaves the classroom unattended. Nothing. Nothing good ever happens when a teacher leaves a class unattended. These is an unwritten rule from second grade on that when the teacher leaves the room, it is a free for all. First graders do not have the guts to revolt but by the time second grade hits, the unattended room goes crazy. Even with age and maturity, this rule continues through a student’s academic career and must be strictly adhered to unless one wants to be an outsider among their peers.
However, there is always one kid that continues what they are supposed to be doing when the teacher leaves even though their classmates will find it strange. For as long as I can remember, that kid has been me. Even now, when the teacher leaves I do not try to get away with anything. I remember thinking when I was little that there might be spy cameras ready to catch me if I tried anything funny, and even now that I am older I do not risk it. The one time I do anything, I know somebody will be there to catch me.
Going to college I just figured that everything would be different. I was wrong. Once again when our teacher left the room chaos ensued. It was not even a different, more mature form of chaos. The exact same things that happen when a second grade classroom is left unattended happened. The only differences were the use of better vocabulary and the boys and girls were not afraid to talk to one another.
Before he left the room our professor gave us simple instructions: just discuss the reading and say how it can be applied to everyday life. Then, he left leaving a pack of tired, stressed college students to discuss homework that no one wanted to do in the first place.
As soon as the ...

... middle of paper ...

...aged to take part in. For once, a jock was nice to the nerd. It was fantastic. He may never tell his friends what he did and he may never say hello to me during class but at least he was respectful. We still were not really friends but at least I knew that he cared enough to say sorry.
The rule that was never written down but is followed by almost every student in American classrooms still took place in that college classroom. Although it is fun moment of chaos for most of the class, some students do not feel the same way. I had always felt like an outsider on the rule but that day I leaned that I might not be alone. There was a boy in my class that also felt bad for the panic. Even though he was the cause of the panic that ensued when the professor had left the room he was the first one who I had ever witnessed try to calm the panic when the teacher returned.

Open Document