Seats and cats

As I have been taking college classes for the past three semesters and have just started my fourth, I always notice things about the seating arrangement of my classes. I have formulated a theory that I like to call the “rule of thirds.” (I do realize that this name is also used in photography for determining where to place the subject of the photo, stating that the object/person should never be in the direct center of the frame because it takes away depth and makes the pictures more boring, but should instead be placed on the imaginary lines that divide the picture into thirds.) The Rule of Thirds has multiple parts, so I’ll explain it as best as I can. Imagine the desks in a given classroom as being divided in to nine sections by four lines, similar to a tic-tac-toe board, the various areas that these lines separate have different properties. The front third, that being the one closes to the professor during a lecture, is where the overachievers sit, these aren’t necessarily the smartest people in a given class but they are the ones who want to be here and will be the most likely to do voluntary assignments. They are also usually the first ones to into a classroom having arrived as early as possible. Going back to the tic-tac-toe metaphor, imagine the center space as being the one with the big red X in the middle of it, avoid this area if at all possible, teachers focus a lot of attention to this area because they notice it more than any other, and by looking there, it’s easier for them to pay attention to the class in its entirety. Those who wish that they weren’t taking the class and hope to never be called on occupy the back third. Be extra careful if you happen to end up in one of these seats because many teachers like to throw surprise questions to these students. If one truly wishes to remain unnoticed during a class, I suggest occupying a seat where tow of the imaginary lines intersect, these are often overlooked by teachers when they jump from one area of the room to another. I suggest the back tow intersections if possible because there is less chance you will get grouped in with the overachievers. Other things to be aware of are exceptions to this rule, like all others. If one area gets full, the remaining students will spill over into other areas, and many people will take the first available seat if they arrive at class late. Another thing to consider is the people in the class itself, both the number and type. In a smaller class, later into a degree plan, you will end up with more overachievers, and you will have to move accordingly so as not to be seen as a member of the minority, that being the slackers. Remember these projections are not always true, but they do provide a good example to go by.

The following story is an allegory, but both the original story and the underlying one are true.

This is also my 50^th post

I was talking to my friend Tommy
You know he’s almost 6.3 years old