“Dear students, I know when you’re texting. Sincerely, no one just looks down at their crotch and smiles.”

– Dear Blank Please Blank

            I found this quote on a website called Dear Blank Please Blank. The entire site has quotes of people, institutions, and even fictional characters who write little notes to others. If you have never heard of this site, I highly recommend that you look it up; you will be occupied with great comic relief for hours.

This little note is rather funny. Just imagine looking across a classroom at one of your peers. You notice he or she is looking down towards the floor, or to their crotch where their phone most likely is and they are smiling. Funny, right? You almost wonder why this would irritate a professor when the student looks like he or she is doing something so ridiculous.

Why then could this humorous moment have a negative outcome? Well, there are at least two reasons. First, you are blatantly ignoring your professor in class. We are all guilty of going on our phones or getting distracted on our laptops in class, myself included. Though this happens fairly often, it is important to keep in mind that the professor has dedicated their entire lives to the subject that they are trying to teach you that day in class.

Something else to keep in mind is that we as students might miss out on a learning opportunity. Yes, some lecture days are not the most exciting; it is very easy for us to want to do something else. However, I know that if I did not listen in some of my classes, especially in those that are discussion based, I would never have heard one boy’s pro-Palestinian perspective on the conflicts between Palestine and Israel. I would never have questioned any world leader who has ever made an unethical decision in the name of freedom and democracy. Most significantly, I would never have questioned the idea that humans are inherently flawed and that we should try to judge each other less.

College is a crucial time in our lives. Our institution presents us with so many opportunities that we would not have gained otherwise, at least not as easily. Every so often we might want to see if the person we are romantically attracted to have texted us back. Sometimes we want to make sure our friend can make it to lunch at the pub at 12:30 p.m. instead 1:00 p.m.; but in doing so, we could miss out on life lessons. We should try to remember to look up more often from our crotches… it can’t possibly be that exciting…!