It Is All About Respect

Today in class we talked at length about the issue of classroom ethics. My professor Kathy Patterson, continuously tried to relate the business world to that of our everyday classroom. Issues such as eating and drinking, texting, typing and attendance all were part of the discussion. After talking at length about these habits and actions, it became clear to me that these were not the topics being disputed. The issue is really all about respect. Respect for your professors, fellow classmates and eventually your colleagues or employers.

Many of my classmates argued that having their attendance taken and being marked for participation are both a waste of the professor’s time and there seemed to be a sense of the students being “babysat”. I feel very differently about this matter. I believe that the professors are teaching us life skills. If these skills are not developed appropriately then we could face all kinds of problems when entering the world of business. Skills like punctuality, organization, time management and problem solving are all necessary evils to succeed in the real world. Most of us come to college with these skills only partially developed and we need to work on honing these skills so we can impress our future employers and please our clients. If we practice this in the classroom, it will hopefully translate into our everyday life and our place of employment.

In the business world if you show up late to a meeting you might be fired. It is not recommended that you interrupt, text, eat or be disruptive while others are speaking. This is simply an issue of respect. We should start practicing this behavior in the classroom and develop good habits. Let’s not criticize our professors for trying to prepare us for our future!