You are Driving Me Crazy!

In Bad habits that drive co-workers crazy from Blue Skunk Blog, Doug Johnson shared an article about habits that bother co-workers. He then asks,

“And the bad habits that you, dear readers, find most annoying?”

I thought about the classroom and how many things classmates do annoys the others but we all have to work together in the same room for a length of time. Sometimes you don’t realize that you are doing things that bother others so this might be a great exercise to do at the beginning of the year before the actions drive you and others crazy. I could add my own examples to a poster and then give post-it notes to students for their ideas. Then I would display the poster to remind others what they should try not to do. By using the post-it notes, no one would feel argumentative with a specific person who posted it.

There needs to be ground rules though. For example:

·      No specific names.

·      No name-calling.

·      No profanity.

Here are some things I would list:

·      Pencil/toe tapping on the desk while I am teaching.

·      Singing songs aloud while others are working quietly.

·      Chewing food with your mouth open.

·      Borrowing my stuff without asking for permission.

·      Not returning things you borrow.

·      Reading stuff on my desk that is none of your business.

·      Calling people names.

·      Disrespect.

·      Lying.

What things in the classroom drive you crazy? Please share.