The Stumbler and the Mumbler

My Ethics class is going to be interesting, if only for the anthropological possibilities coming from studying my professor, TFs, and the assorted freshman who take it with me. My professor lectures to a large class of about 100 kids twice a week, so he's no slob-- he also has two TFs, so he doesn't even have to grade papers or answer questions. However, he is extremely confusing because his soft Aussie accent trips over complex sentences. And anyone who knows anything about Ethics can tell you the first few weeks of it are complex sentences (full of "true"s and "not the case"s).

He also tends to interrupt himself when he's thinking of a better way to explain something. It's completely distracting, because I will be leaning forward with my pen poised against the paper, trying to grasp his meaning, and then he'll veer off in a different direction. Just SAY in one sentence the difference between "valid" and "sound". Then, I will write it down and we can move on.

Henceforth, he is the Stumbler.

My TF leads a discussion class with about 30 kids once a week. He's a shy graduate student who, in trying to make us explain ourselves, can actually come across a bit asshat-y. I raised my hand to volunteer a passage in the book, and I paraphrased what the author had said. Instead of asking me a leading question or nodding or even--Heaven forbid-- praising me, he snootily asked: "Who said that? You or the author?"

Completely deflated, I stabbed my pen half-heartedly at the textbook and said, "Uhh well it's mentioned in there."

He is the Mumbler, because his sentences are well constructed and clear, just usually descend into a low grumble by the end of them.

It's been a while since I've had a class with so many freshman (damn you, requirements I put off until senior year!). It's extremely interesting to see how they are handling their first big scary college course. For example, on the first lecture day, about 20 of them tried to volunteer information or ask leading questions. That. Is what. Discussion. Is for.

When we did get to discussion, some of them decided to use extremely annoying examples in their questions. When you could relate a proposition to a cow OR you could relate it to the existence of God, why would anyone in their right mind decide to take on religion and whether or not Jesus was a real person? It's just like morbid self-hate to do that, and in front of an audience of your peers.

Some of them strolled in late for the first class, leaving the rest of us to endure the Stumbler's distracted tangent while he blinked at them in confusion from the podium. I really enjoyed seeing a couple of them get to discussion late and then, rather than choose a quick seat near the door, cross the room to the farthest row of seats and squeak a few desks aside for a prime seat near the middle. Hellooo don't call attention to yourself when coming in 20 minutes after class started.

I'm seeing The Wombats tonight! That is just terribly exciting.