by Sideshow Meg » Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:47 pm
I really enjoy seminars. I like the elemnt of discussion and boucning ideas around. I enjoy my American History seminar because Ian is sweet and good at explaining things and I enjoy my American Literature seminars because Tom teaches them and he is awesome and rambles about maypoles whilst wearing Ralph Lauren and reclining in a leather chair. (The fact that the students also get sit in big leather chairs is a noted factor of enjoyment as well).
However, today, there were two people (one in each seminar) who really cut my enjoyment off at the source. In my first seminar, there was a girl, F, who insisted on answering everything. She was one of those types - Excessive reading, excessive note taking, and yet always wanting the tutor to clairfy for her. In terms which only my friends will understand, she is a Connie. She answered so many questions today that it was not so much a seminar, as a conversation between her and Ian, whilst the rest of the room watched. The worst thing, however, is the fact that she is in my reading group. We have to meet up each week as a reading group to discuss a chapter in the textbook, so we bandied about which days are best for us. Fridays it seems are our best days, so what time did F suggest? 9 am. Yes, nine o'clock in the morning. I have a day off on Friday and I do NOT intend to wake up before nine to discuss a book for an hour, and I am certainly not having some study-happy bitch queen from hell dictate my mornings. Grr. She also has a horrid faux-posh affectation which makes me beg the question, why on Earth are you not living in Surrey, because I'm from South-East Hampshire, right near the border and we actually talk like that.
Anyway, the second person. Ah yes, the literature seminar. This guy, W, is like a male F, with his excessive notes/reading/question-asking etc. I honestly do not have a problem with an orgnaised student. What I do have a problem with, however, is a complete and obvious display of sycophancy. Stop sucking up to tutor, stop answering all the questions and please allow us to evoke a debate, because you can quote Franklin and explain the lightning theory all you want, but we are not interested. We came here to learn from a tutor of American Literature and would like to be able to have a discussion with him. It really annoyed me how he managed to effectively shut off a whole section of discussion by attempting to make it a conversation beteen him and Tom.
This was actually from yesterday, on my blog but hey, there's a rant thread now! Do I win longest rant?
Meg - A 'posh bit of crumpet'