Backseat Driver

I am so glad that the eight hours of traffic class are over. Why does it seem that sitting on your arse for an extended period of time is more taxing than chasing after a toddler for 14 hours a day? I was exhausted when I got home yesterday.

However, I did realize that there are certain types of people in every class you may take. The same profiles would fit for traffic class, childbirth class, a wine tasting class, etc. Think about a class you have taken previously, and I know that you will remember having all of these people present. You may have to look deep in your memory, because you have probably tried to bury the experience of having to deal with these folks.

• The Know-it-all- This person characteristically has what they think is the correct answer to every question the teacher may ask. They are very vocal in sharing that answer, often throwing common courtesy out the window and hollering out the answer. They are usually wrong.
• The Smartaleck- This person has a sarcastic quip for a majority of the information the teacher may discuss. Comments are usually made under their breath, just loud enough for the teacher to ask "excuse me?" and request the person repeat their barb. They are sometimes comical, but usually not.
• The Idiot- This is the person who asks the stupid questions, and yes there is such a thing as a stupid question (i.e. in childbirth class, the girl who asked what to do about heartburn and in traffic class, the girl who asked if there is a difference between dough-nut and do-nut). These questions are usually met with groans of agony and loud "oh my gosh, they really asked that!" sighs from fellow class members.
• The Storyteller- This person has an anecdote for a majority of the discussion topics brought forth by the teacher and is not afraid to share. Yesterday, I heard about somebody's 1957 such and such car that could blah blah blah, even though so and so and her sister and their cousin Walter knew how to dismantle the whatchamacallit to make said car drive faster even though the whosiwhatsit wasn't really even supposed to be in the car in the first place. These are the ones who make you want to pull your hair out!

Now, I know that all of us probably have some of the above characteristics embedded in our DNA, but most of are able to curb the need to dump our stupidity, sarcasm, smarts, or stories on the unsuspecting public.

Next time that you take a class, no matter what it is, please control the urge to act like the above profiles. Just sit quietly, politely raise your hand to answer a question (make sure you are 100% correct), resist the urge to tell about Aunt Sophie's recent hip surgery, and when in doubt, please remember it probably is a stupid question, so don't bother asking it!