In every group there seems to always be one person who can't help but try to stir up some drama. Is it from boredom? Does it make them feel more important, or noticed? As the person who prefers to sit in the back corner and be noticed as little as possible, I can't answer these questions.
We have one in our class. At first I thought it was going to be horrible sharing class with this person for the next 18 months. But then I realized that most others in our class seemed to share in my frustration with this person. And then, it was almost as though they realized that they weren't making any friends with their abrasive nature. They started being a bit quieter, less apt to force their way into every lecture and finding fewer nasty comments to throw out about our fellow class mates. It was really nice while it lasted.
The quiet is over.
Instead we are having to endure more and more harsh comments. Cutting down of more students. It just makes the whole class roll their eyes as this person interjects yet again. Some class mates seem to be more sensitive to this than others. More than a few students have received e-mails letting them know that the class as a whole did no agree with this person, and trying to smooth any hurt feelings that may have been caused.
A friend went to one of our instructors to get their opinion on what was going on and to ask if maybe an effort should be made to try to get the rest of the class to not be so frustrated by our pot stirrer. The conversation didn't mention names or identifying statements but the instructor did interject that she had seen the behaviors that were frustrating us, and asking my friend not to try to calm the class down, but to allow this person to dig whatever hole they were going to dig and live with the consequences.
Fair enough.
I'm so glad that I genuinely enjoy the company of the majority of my class mates.
We have one in our class. At first I thought it was going to be horrible sharing class with this person for the next 18 months. But then I realized that most others in our class seemed to share in my frustration with this person. And then, it was almost as though they realized that they weren't making any friends with their abrasive nature. They started being a bit quieter, less apt to force their way into every lecture and finding fewer nasty comments to throw out about our fellow class mates. It was really nice while it lasted.
The quiet is over.
Instead we are having to endure more and more harsh comments. Cutting down of more students. It just makes the whole class roll their eyes as this person interjects yet again. Some class mates seem to be more sensitive to this than others. More than a few students have received e-mails letting them know that the class as a whole did no agree with this person, and trying to smooth any hurt feelings that may have been caused.
A friend went to one of our instructors to get their opinion on what was going on and to ask if maybe an effort should be made to try to get the rest of the class to not be so frustrated by our pot stirrer. The conversation didn't mention names or identifying statements but the instructor did interject that she had seen the behaviors that were frustrating us, and asking my friend not to try to calm the class down, but to allow this person to dig whatever hole they were going to dig and live with the consequences.
Fair enough.
I'm so glad that I genuinely enjoy the company of the majority of my class mates.
