Passing the Time

How to Survive a Boring Class

I'm sure everyone has been in a class that is completely, utterly, unconditionally boring. I'm sure everyone has had at least one teacher who would drone on and on, not even noticing that the students are not listening anymore. I'm sure everyone has slumped down during such a class, letting the dull, meaningless words just go in one ear and out the other. I'm sure everyone has,in the forementioned class, stared at the clock, wondering why the hands are moving so slowly. 

Well, here are some ways to avoid such boredom. Of course, these ways depend on many different factors, such as the type of teacher you've got, and your audacity, and your willingness to get into trouble. And, of course, the way you'd choose to avoid boredom would be different from mine, as you've got a different personality than me. But here are some possible ways to survive a boring class.

1. Go read a book. Books are an excellent way to survive a dull lecture. Allow your book to take you far, far away, into the ancient ruins of a castle, or into outer space, or even into the future. Meet witches and wizards, elves and fairies, hobbits and dwarves, or, if you're extremely lucky, you'll meet someone who leads a life that is, if not exactly alike, then greatly resembling your own. Books provide you with an excellent escape from your teacher's dreary, tiresome voice, and from the dull repetitiveness and monotony of life.

This method of surviving a dull class is more advisable for those who are, firstly, able to comprehend the meaning of the writing or pictures on the pages, and, secondly, have a book in the first place, and, most importantly, enjoy reading the book they've got on hand. You can't begin reading a book you've got no interest in, and expect your boredom to just fly away. No, the crucial thing is to find a book that is on a subject you enjoy, and will willingly read about.

The best conditions to perform this method would be in a classroom that contains many, many students, and only one teacher. For the best results, ensure that the teacher is deeply engrossed in his or her lecture, so much that they will not even glance around to see if the students are taking notes or not. Also, it would be best to take a seat far, far away in the back, hidden from your teacher's prying eyes.

2. Study. Be a diligent, hardworking student, and study. You never know when you'll need the knowledge, and, besides, you couldn't possibly rely on that dull teacher to teach you anything. So go and memorize all those facts.

This method may, of course, sound boring to most people, but there are many, many ways of taking notes. You might be an auditory learner, who needs to say everything out loud. And that's totally fine. Chant out the Periodic Table of Elements if that'll help you remember it all. If you want, you could even sing it aloud in class.

If you're a visual learner, go and draw it out. Color-code your notes if that'll help. You could draw diagrams or charts. You could even draw a life-size portrait of all the body systems if that helps you.

If you're a tactile/kinetic learner, meaning that you learn only by doing, then... well... if this is a science class, go ahead and don those goggles and combine all those chemicals and liquids until you get the exact thing your textbook tells you about. And, if the fire alarm goes off during your experiment, then, well, at least you'll know what chemicals not to combine next time.

This method is pretty much safe from teachers. Nobody can say that there's anything wrong with studying, because, after all, aren't we children meant to learn in this class?

3. Listen to music. Get out your earbuds and your phone, Ipod, Iphone, stereo, etc. and go listen to some music. Music will soothe you and fend off the boredom. And, if you just turn the volume high enough, you could just entirely block out your teacher's voice. However, side effects of this, may include temporary, or permanent deafness.

This method is best to do if you've long hair, long enough to block out the image of an earbud firmly plugged in your ear. And, also, make sure the volume is not too high, otherwise people will start to wonder where that mysterious rap music is coming from. Also, if you do not wish the teacher to notice you, it is advisable to not choose a song you like too much, or else you'll begin singing your heart out in the middle of History class.

4. Socialize. Whisper to your friends. Talk about the people you hate, the people you like, the person you've a crush on... etc. If you do not wish to get caught, do not talk about something overly amusing, otherwise you will giggle and immediately be sent out. However, if your friend is far, far across the room from you, feel free to make faces at them. You could communicate through a mixture of eye-brow twitching, lip-reading, and just pulling random faces. The downside of this is that it may cause some to wonder about your sanity, and, if your teacher catches you at this... well, you'll know why they might avoid you for the rest of the year.

5. Text on your phone. This, I believe, is a common and popular solution to such a problem, so I doubt that there's any need for me to elaborate. However, like the method that involved reading a book, it's best if your teacher is deeply engrossed in the lesson. Your phone might otherwise decide to leave you for your teacher's desk drawer.

6. Daydream. Go off into your own world, where you are the ruler, where everything happens as you want it to, where everything is perfect, just perfect. You could time-travel back into the past, remember all those things you've done badly, and imagine you could fix it all. Imagine all those if-only scenarios that I'm sure you've thought about, and picture what your life would be like if you'd actually done them. Would your life be a lot brighter, a lot sunnier... a lot more perfect?

7. Here's a silly option: Glare at the back of your teacher's head for a good ten minutes. Then, when he or she looks toward you, look down, acting as though you are studiously taking notes. The teacher will look away, and you can resume glaring. Continue doing this for the rest of the period, if you feel like it. You can even get the whole class in on this, and the teacher will experience the discomfort of thirty something eyes glaring in his or her direction. If you wish to further perplex your teacher, have everyone glare at him or her, and don't look away when he or she turns around.

8. Think of all the things you think are wrong with the world we currently live in. What are the things you hate about it? What do you think is cruel and evil and just wrong? Think of all those things, and imagine ways you could change them. Then, if you feel very strongly about it, go out and actually change what you don't like.

Because, you see, no one will change everything for you. Nobody will make the world a brighter place for you. They're not you and will not think the same thoughts as you. Knights existed only in Middle Ages, and, for that matter, only in Europe. And besides, I highly doubt that they were all brave and chivalrous. After all, they are human and surely cannot always be selfless creatures. Besides, do you see anyone nowadays wearing "shining armor" and galloping off to save all those in need of help? The closest thing to these "knights" would be your parents, and even they are not immortal. So, as tiring and repetitive as you might find it to hear this, don't sit around and wait. Go out and change the world on your own.

9. Do some self-reflection. Reflect on everything you like and dislike about yourself, and, again, think up ways to change those that you dislike. However, ensure that you do not dwell forever on the things you dislike about yourself. Always keep in mind that no one is all bad, that everyone must have at least one good trait. Dwelling too long on the bad is not good for a person's mental health, and can lead to depression and suicide. So, if you do choose to do some self-reflection, end it with either a positive thought about yourself, or ways that you can change the things you dislike. Think of the things you can do to change others lives. Think of the ways you can make other people happy. I am sure that, if you ensure someone else's happiness, you would also feel joy upon seeing their smiling face.

10.  And, lastly, always, always, always remember to breathe. After all, nobody survives without oxygen.