Every Monday, I sit down in my journalism law class with my friend, Emma. I give her candy, she gives me a ride home, and we give each other company in a three-hour long lecture. We love the professor and the content though, so everything is well worth it.
The professor has stressed since the beginning of the semester that where we sit is important. Who we’ve chosen to sit by will determine who will be in our group for one of the biggest parts of our grade for the course: a presentation on a court case.
Emma and I sit in the very first row and enjoy the seats closest to the window, despite the draft. For three consecutive classes, we abided by the professor’s instructions. Even if there’s no actual assigned seats, it’s just the natural way of college to sit in the same seat every time class is held.
…right?
Well, no. Not on this particular Monday. Not on the Monday it actually counted.
Even though I came in 20 minutes early to class, to my shock, there were two people sitting in our regular spots. Not just one seat, but both were being taken up by a pair I had never seen before. Our unassigned assigned seats were gone.
Emma hadn’t even found a place to park yet, and I immediately informed her of this unfathomable tragedy. The window seat we’d chosen on the first day was ripped away from us without a second of consideration. We didn’t know what we had until it was gone, what we’d be missing.
Now we had to sit in the middle of the row, and Emma had no place to set her energy drink but on the ground.
By choosing to violate the unspoken laws of college, these two strangers threw off the balance of the whole class. The usual first row had to be shifted. The whole right side of the classroom felt off. Everything was wrong.
And maybe I’m being dramatic…Yes, I know I’m being dramatic.
But today was the day they assigned the groups for the presentations. And this silly little hiccup in the seating arrangement actually did more than just be a bother. When the professor started counting out the groups everything was set into motion.
Emma and I were separated into two different groups. We’d be spending our semester working on two separate topics, with multiple strangers – and poor Emma had to be placed into the group with the two people who were the sole reason for this disaster.
My emotional support lecture friend was ripped away from me. It couldn’t have played out more tragically. As hard as I could have held onto her, it was like my hands weren’t strong enough to change our fate. Emma and I were officially separated.
This never would have happened if people chose to sit where they normally would! Why change now? Why!?
I’ve been attending in-person lectures for years. It’s always happened once, and I have always felt so put off. The universe doesn’t feel right if I can’t see the projector like I have the whole semester.
THIS is why unassigned assigned seating matters. Taking someone else’s spot could potentially ruin someone’s day, or even their whole semester plans. That silent rule is there out of comfort, and there is a mutual understanding that you don’t mess with the balance of a classroom like that.
Don’t be a seat stealer. Don’t disrupt the flow of the classroom. Your choice to sit somewhere new could potentially skew an entire row, or could skew someone’s mind.