You know what really grinds my gears? When students stand up and walk out in the middle of class.

I can understand leaving five to ten minutes early to print something for another class, but there is no point in even going to class if only to leave in the middle of it.

Last week in one of my classes, our teacher gave us a few minutes to stretch out because it’s a long lecture. Two girls stood up, giggled then proceeded to walk down the aisle (right in front of the teacher mind you) and disperse out the door. Our teacher quietly asked as they were walking out, “leaving?” The girls completely ignored the teacher— Very irritating for me and probably even more irritating for the teacher.

I simply do not get why students feel the need to do this. You are in college, paying thousands of dollars to be educated. Why would you just throw your money away like that? Not only does it hinder your education, it’s just plain rude. You could tell that my teacher was upset by the two girls leaving, but she did a good job of brushing it off. It’s only the fourth week of classes, and some students are setting a bad habit for themselves.

However there can be good reasons behind students leaving class, such as illness or a family emergency. These reasons are generally very slim, however, as most students are just bored and would rather be with their friends numbing their minds. More often than not, teachers give pop quizzes or easy points when they notice students walking out early. Students are missing out on free points.

While I do admit I have walked out of class before, it has always been for a good reason and never without emailing the teacher to let them know why I disrupted a lecture. Either I needed to attend a group meeting, or I literally thought I was going to puke on the girl sitting in front of me. If I felt like I wouldn’t be able to make it through the entirety of a class, I just wouldn’t go.

So next time you are thinking about leaving class early, just remember that you are wasting money, being disrespectful toward the teacher and disrupting students who actually want to learn.

Nick Bragg can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.