Boring classes sometimes call for desperate measures. I was always the grand queen of entertaining myself and the others around me during the really tedious classes.
My friend and I had a class newsletter, which was published as often as we had a particular teacher, who bored us enormously. We had various contests, games and other ways of entertaining ourselves.
Some were brilliant (a letter writing campaign that involved four different classes), some were pretty ordinary (scattergories), some were pretty dumb (a drawing contest to see who could depict the teacher in a way that would make everyone laugh the hardest and get somebody sent out), some were risky (photographing the teacher), while some were just plain desperate (an electronic solitaire game).
Now, as an outsider, I feel for the girls who are sitting through those same classes, especially those who lack my creativity, and therefore find themselves with nothing better to do than take notes.
But my ninth grade sister came home with tales of boring-class-antics that astounded even me.
"This kid in my class passed around a paper during Mrs. ------'s class today, asking people to write the names of anyone they know who needs a shidduch."
First, I misunderstood. "That's nice," I said without much interest. My sister was confused. "Nice?" I was in middle of something, and distracted, so I mumbled something like "Yes, nice. That way if people aren't listening in class at least they could daven for people who need a shidduch."
Granted, I didn't really think it's so nice. I'm really young, just a year or three out of high school myself, yet to ninth graders, I am an ancient old maid and the epitome of the shidduch crisis. So I could see this list being jammed full of names of girls my age or younger, which is a ridiculous thought...
But I had misunderstood the entire point. My sister clarified. "No! It wasn't asking for their tehillim names! There was a column for boys and a column for girls and you were supposed to write all the singles you know so we can try to match them up."
Whatever had been distracting me until then was suddenly less interesting. I was completely dumbfounded. A class of ninth graders trying to solve the shidduch crisis? Trying to fund their class trip through shadchanus gelt? Trying to stay sane through one of the world's most boring teachers?
I don't even think I want to know...
17 comments:
I think it's a pretty creative way to pass a boring class, but, hey, you never know!
..I don't get it, it doesn't matter how annoying or boring the teacher is; if you don't get the information you won't do well on the tests (..or at least that's how it works for me..).
My initial reaction is one of horror that at such a tender age these girls are worried about the "shidduch crisis" (and likely afraid that it may one day impact them).
On the other hand, you never know from whence something comes. My own son's shidduch was originally suggested (more than once until somebody took him seriously and redt it officially) by an 11th grade boy......
Um....ooooookay. Personally, I'm not sure I'd trust 9th graders' judgment as shadchanim, especially as many may be nogeiyah b'davar because siblings are involved. I can only imagine, Baila and Basya set up their brother and sister, Binyamin and Bracha, and for some reason it doesn't work out. Baila and Basya, being in ninth grade, never speak again. Has your sister and her class considered that ramification to their bored exercise?
Unless you're smart, or good at guessing. I always love the multiple choice questions- the answer is right there, u just gotta find it.
Anon- it's creative but I'm not so sure about passing the class. Cuz once you make the form, even if you decorate it and stuff (as I would have done) you pass it on and you're bored again.
WYNI- my style of learning has been described as the osmosis method. I just sat in class and somehow managed pretty decent grades. I dunno. Honest, I never listened. But you just gave me a post idea...
G6- that didn't even occur to me, if truth be told. My sister for example has 2 sisters that are shidduch aged, so she hears about things like this. And even the girls who don't have sisters or brothers in the parsha, they probably read the yated, and that's enough.... Sigh
Oh, and I should mention that a girl in the school recently made a shidduch between her classmates' siblings, so I guess the while place became wannabe shaddchanim...(ugh)
Scraps- I needa ask sis for a follow up, but I seriously doubt it'll get to that point. It's the type that the next teacher, who is scary and strict, will come in and the kid who has it will panic when the teacher looks at her, and she'll throw it out or rip it up or something.
In case they do try matching people up...I wonder if anyone would listen...
Altie- I hate multiple choice. I can't figure out what the teacher wants. I always did best on open ended questions!
....honestly I rarely listen either, and often miss class, but at least when I copy friends' notes for the finals I take them very seriously..
...we also had "sleep learners" in the high school I was in; there was one kid who was probably one of the least cool who would be "sleeping" for the whole Gemara class, and all of a sudden get up and pose a difficulty to the Rebbe based on something that was learned months earlier.. ..just though I would share that..
WYNI- are you saying I'm un-cool?
I had a story once in seminary like that. There was a teacher that I had first period, so I used to barely wake up, just stumble into the classroom and go right back to sleep. Anyway, towards the end of the first term I picked up my head and asked the kid next to me why there is a sub.
She giggled and told me it's not a sub, this is the teacher we have every week.
(oops...)
I think I did pretty ok in her class but I'm not sure cuz I dunno which subject she taught.
Haha. Amazing, I don't know how you do it..
And no, I definitely wasn't suggesting you're not cool, just that he wasn't. He was just one of those nerdy kind of guys who had some sort of prodigal abilities (as uncool people are known to sometimes have(!)).
(I personally felt it was "cool" of me to hang out with him, since he was out of my league in regards to "coolness", though I've obviously never been one to discriminate..)
(And on another anecdotal point (I'm not sure what posseses me to go on so long here): In the class of the very Rebbi who taught me "how to learn", there was one student who came in, ate an egg sandwitch and sleep for the rest of the class, on a daily basis. ..I guess it goes to show you not to underapreciate teachers..)
WYNI- I don't either. God is good to me. What else can I say?
Girls think too much about shidduchim. Craziness. What's wrong with twittling your fingers to pass the time?
We think too much in general. No, twiddling thumbs is a waste of time. But they should do something more productive then sit and write abt 'the crisis' all day.
CIB- That's boring.
Altie- Would taking notes be considered productive? ;)
It might be, if you actually learned something from it.
Altie- and if you didn't, what would be a productive use of class time?
Sleeping, reading, writing blog posts
Altie- How true...if only I had started my blog while I was in school I probably wouldn't have had to play hooky as often. ;-)
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