Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

Are there adjectives for describing "unpopular" when it comes to college majors?

Thanks

[Anuradha Chepur]

Unpopular is an adjective too. You mean you want synonyms? I can't think of any now but I remember this incident in college when I was very naughty and my teacher had commented that I'm becoming unpopularly popular .

I hope my students don't read this.

[kerstin]

[CP]

Yes, Dr. Chepur, we must have the details!
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[_Nana_]

[quote]teacher had commented that I'm becoming unpopularly popular [/quote]

Hm, very interesting

[Anuradha Chepur]

Ooooooops I'm so embarassed. Perhaps I shouldn't have revealed it.

Anyway here's what I remember: I was 15 then and into junior college. Another friend of mine and I were rather hyper and always playing pranks. We used to bother our English teacher with our pranks (I can't reveal what pranks). Her name was Ms Sandhya. Naturally we were the most popular students in the class. One day she was cross and she made that comment, "You are becoming unpopularly popular." Her comment has remained in my memory.

Probably what she meant was we were popular for the wrong reasons.

The readers of this post must note that I'm not that anymore. I'm more of an introvert now and also a good girl.

[asterix]

A leopard cannot change its spots!

[Anuradha Chepur]

[asterix]

If you are truly shy, Anuradha, don't you find it difficult to stand in front of a class of adults?
If so, how do you overcome that shyness?

[Anuradha Chepur]

No Asterix, I'm comfortable when I'm teaching and I've been teaching adults ever since I started teaching ten years back. In fact sometimes its those adults who are initially shy to sit along with younger people in the class and I have to help them overcome the shyness. On the professional front, I'm absolutely fine and I also did a direct sales job long back which involved meeting people and talking to them, and there too I had no problem at all. But once I'm done with my work, I keep to myself - no socialising and no parties. I'm totally confused as to what people talk at parties - I have nothing to talk!

[Anuradha Chepur]

At the cost of getting off topic, I'd like to know about Asterix, CP, Lorikeet and all other members, i.e., if you'll are introverts/extroverts/ambiverts...

[iitimone7]

i understand completely, anuradha. i'm shy as well, but i'm completely comfortable in front of a classroom.

it's all about control, asterix - if i'm in control of the classroom or situation, then i'm okay. if i step into someone else's classroom, then i'm shy again.

i've talked to many teachers who are shy people, but they are amazing in front of a classroom full of students.

iitimone7

[Anuradha Chepur]

iitimone, once I visited an engineering college as a guest teacher. I'm used to a class of 25 to 30 people. I was told there'd be 30 of them, but I was made to address 180 of them. At the take off I was uneasy, but took things in my stride in a few minutes.

My favourite leader, the former Chief Minister of my state, Chandrababu Naidu was dynamic, enterprising, progressive, popular and he put Hyderabad on the world map. But the guy got unpopular for paying attention to just the IT sector and neglecting agriculture (and lost the election ). The relevance is he is an introvert and doesn't socialise.

[CP]

I was very shy as a child and probably still am -- that leopard and spots thing. But like a lot of people who have to speak in public, I found that if I act the part of the speaker, the teacher, the advocate in court, then I am the speaker, the teacher, the advocate in court.

At a party I can sit in the corner or be the center of attention, but not because I was born the center of attention.

I have had any number of teachers who are dynamic and masterful before the students, but who seem very withdrawn and introverted when the lecture is over. They usually respond better to written contact than face-to-face discussions.

So put me down in the introvert column. The extraverted introvert column.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Anuradha Chepur]

CP, I'm in excellent company then!