As a rule, especially with lower level classes, I’m nice for the first few classes until it’s time to not be nice.

I give homework and try a few difficult things, but mostly I’m setting my students up for when the heavy stuff comes in. Today the heavy stuff came in and I stopped being nice.

After a pretty good first half of a three hour class, I could see students wearing down in the second half as demands increased. Then I gave them a writing assignment and watched their eyes glaze over and their brains fry (note, this happened in rapid succession so that it seemed nearly simultaneous). Most of them sat paralyzed and did nothing, one was working on something else until I came by. Two giggling women have guaranteed themselves new partners next week.

Then one guy pulled out his cellphone and started doing, well, it doesn’t matter because they are not allowed to have cellphones out unless I give permission, and it’s even questionable then.

I asked him what he was doing and his response was one part denial grunt and one part “oh crap” grunt. That’s when I turned the volume up to nine.

I told him he should get out if he didn’t want to be there and that if I saw his phone again, even if it was next week, he’d be thrown out. He mumbled something that may have been “sorry” and then stared at his textbook as if using the force would make words appear.

This could make things interesting next week. As the plan includes the students proofreading each other’s paragraphs, anyone without a paragraph will be sent out to finish it or not come back. I’ve already got the “you’re wasting everyone’s time” speech prepared.