"Stupid Intelligence"

This is a term I've come up with to describe how some people can be educated (very well educated in some instances) but act like someone who doesn't know better.

I have a student who's college-educated (currently attending), has worked in a professional enviornments (upscale retail and professional office places) , but she does/says things that that she's knows better than to do/say.

The other day, it was a quiet moment in the computer lab, most students were working on keyboarding or checking e-mail. This student, let's call her "Smarty", makes a job-search call on her cellphone. Now a quick phone call isn't a problem, but how are you going to sit in a room and talk loud (or at least in a regular speaking voice).

Anyway, I suggested she should go outside, so she doesn't distract anyone. She instead decides to get on her soapbox to say that I preventing her from finding a job, because the information she needs is on her screen. "If you say you want to help us find a job, why do you make it so difficult for us to call employers?"

Mind you, this isn't just some employer she looked up. This is a friend of her's that she's been calling every week to see if there's an opening at her store (which is obvious, because her conversation is loud enough to not miss).

I tell her that that's a good habit to get into, in any enviornment. If you're on a cellphone, it's sort of rude to have a conversation in a room where other things are happening... like a class. And that it's not difficult to just step outside. She said "Why should I go through all that?"

As this conversation ended, she says "Well maybe it's just me, but I thought we're supposed to be professional here."

Yeah, you're professional.