At least make an effort

One thing that really bothers me, is after I tell my students the rules and they don't even make an effort while breaking them. Like most computer labs in the world, eating and drinking isn't allowed at the computers. After I told everyone, I know a few might have either forgotten or maybe it just slipped their mind.

The other day, I see someone drinking from a soda bottle and eating chips, I remind her of the rules. She closes her bottle and puts it in her bag, and closes a shopping bag where she had her chips. Not three minutes later, she's eating and drinking again! And it's obvious, because I can hear the fizz of the soda as she opens the bottle, I can hear the crinkling of the bag as she opens it to get another chip, and I can OBVIOUSLY hear the crunch as she's eating the chip. Especially since I'm helping someone RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. So I turn around and remind her that it's not allowed. She says "Oh, sorry." in way that would have seemed sincere if I hadn't just reminded her THREE MINUTES AGO.

Then, not even five minutes after that, I hear those familiar sounds again. Crinkle, crinkle.. Crunch, crunch.. Fsssss.. I was a bit shocked at her boldness. So I again, remind her, this time I add "Damn, at least make an effort to hide it from me." She replied "What do you mean?" Hmmm? What could I have meant by that? I MUST have meant for her to continue eating, but to make sure I couldn't see the Pringles can she was eating from, because not five minutes later she was eating again. I had to tell her to put the bag away, and put her soda on the table at the front of the class, "to avoid temptation". She actually griped about "being treated like a baby." Amazing, simply amazing.

Another gripe I have is when someone is watching a music video on the internet with the volume all the way up. Isn't it obvious that other people can hear it? Especially after I asked you to turn it off. Or how about when, in the middle of class, the student is listening to the music, which I can also hear, and then starts dancing in her seat. And then turns to the student next to her to say "This is my song!", and she says it loud because she's wearing headphones and listening to loud music.

Seriously, if you're going to break a rule, at least make an effort. It only makes you look VERY foolish.