Strict guidelines and rules guide students through time spent in high school classrooms. No texting or talking in class is drilled into teenage skulls by middle and high school teachers, but when approaching young adulthood, students are given pieces of paper, known as a syllabus, that govern proper classroom behavior.

While some of those strict guidelines experienced in high school seem to disappear in college, professor’s still expect respect and etiquette in the classroom. Professors may not require all students to turn off their cellphones and put them completely out of sight. Some professors list proper classroom behavior rules in their first-day syllabi.

Professors, such as Erin Grant, assistant criminal justice professor, say they couldn’t care less about texting but get annoyed when students don’t pay attention to the material being taught and talk amongst themselves and other classmates.

“The problem comes up when one person is responding to a prompt I have given and the three [students] in the back corner are hunched over and talking to one another,” said Grant.

To gain respect from professors, following the syllabus rules and displaying respectful classroom behavior is key.

“Whether you like me or not, I am in charge of the classroom. Speaking out of turn shows me there is no respect for my position,” said Grant. “I like a laid-back, comfortable atmosphere in my classes and try to be as open and engaging as possible.”

Professor Quotes:

“The question, ‘Is this going to be on the test?’ I can’t test over everything. They might not need it for my test, but they might need it to pass the RN licensure exam, NCLEX.” –  Susan Maendele, School of Nursing Lecturer

“Students leaving class to answer phone calls and leaving the classroom during guest speaker presentations.” – MaryBeth Fund, School of Nursing Lecturer

“Students who don’t know my name. I make it a point to learn every student’s name within the first week of class. I often have students who halfway through the semester can’t recall my name.” – Heather Snyder, Biology Lecturer

“Not showing up to class, without a good excuse, and then coming to my office and asking me to explain everything we did in class.” – David Price, Associate Professor of Marketing

“Student misses class and later asks, ‘Did I miss anything important?”’Now, there are a hundred sarcastic responses to that, but suffice to say it was important if I used limited class-time on it.” – Jim Martin, School of Business Professor

This is an article from the Spring/Summer 2016 Bod Magazine. Pick up your FREE copy today WITH additional content in front of the Student Media Office located on the lower level of Memorial Union.