On Manners in Class

Last week I was sitting in class when I heard a funny noise.

I looked to my left and saw to my horror that the guy next to me had removed his flip-flops and was complacently cracking his toes, one by one.

I'm not saying I'm a paragon of manners. In that same class, I definitely fell asleep at least once and then chewed minty gum to wake myself up. But these people who show up to class barefoot and crack their toes?? At what point did that become acceptable?

Being a student is our full-time job right now and should be treated with professionalism. I know - believe me, I know - that it can be hard to do homework on time and come to class properly attired, but we really owe it to our professors (who come to class nicely dressed and mannered), our parents (who are paying the tuition for this whole college shindig), our classmates and yes, ourselves.

That's why you'll see me wearing make-up and (somewhat) coordinated outfits even when I got 2 hours of sleep the night before. In the wise words of the inimitable Coco Chanel, "I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny." That bit about fixing yourself up goes just as much for men too.

Anyway, the point I'm getting to here is that the line has to be drawn somewhere, and for me, that line is people cracking their toes in class.