Students are bound to dislike a teacher at some point. Maybe the teacher picks favorites, or has an annoying habit. Another word used for this on social media is “ick,” which according to Dictionary.com, is often “used as an expression of distaste.” However, teachers also have “icks” about students, too.
English teacher Chris Martin says students talking over him annoys him more than anything in the classroom. “Talking when I’m talking, that’s a big one that aggravates me the most,” Martin said.
Martin says it’s because students don’t get the needed information while they’re talking. “You can’t consume information [and talk] at the same time. It’s next to impossible. They are also distracting other people, so the amount of information being consumed is significantly less.”
Spanish teacher Anne Timm says not listening to her annoys her the most. “It makes me repeat myself,” Timm said, “which isn’t something anyone wants to do.”
But the teachers catch themselves doing annoying things as well.
Martin says some days he “phones it in,” or does things halfheartedly. “You’re tired, class is out of hand, sometimes you just let go [don’t care].”
Timm says it probably annoys her students when she talks and gives instructions all of class. “I prefer them doing activities and showing they are learning what I teach,” Timm said. “They probably get tired of listening, too.”
But students, like freshmen Caylee Rogers and Zion Mollel, have their “icks,” too.
Rogers says her biggest one is when teachers call on her without warning. “[Mine is] definitely when teachers call on me when I didn’t raise my hand,” Rogers said. “I didn’t raise my hand because I don’t want to be called on.”
Mollel says her biggest ick is when teachers use her answer as a “not-to”. “You answer a question and they repeat it to the class, but they say it’s wrong,” Mollel said “It just makes me feel dumb, since they say it’s wrong in front of the entire class.”
Both students agree that it’s not just the teachers who can be annoying, though. Their peers have their quirks, too.
Mollel says she hates when people talk during work times. “If we’re supposed to be doing work, they need to stop talking so I can get my work done, Mollel said. “I can’t focus otherwise.”
Whether its someone talking when they’re not supposed to, or a teacher not really teaching the class, everyone has something that annoys them. And while the “ick” trend may fade overtime, the icks themselves won’t.
