Pet peeves strike a nerve with students

Everybody has those small, strange things about people or places that annoy them. It could be the sound of someone smacking their gum or people dragging their feet. Maybe it’s something big like the smelly dumpster by the gym or the school’s cell service. Regardless of the severity, students have found that these pet peeves follow them everywhere.

The lack of cell service in parts of the school and the limited WiFi ranked high on students’ daily irritation lists. Many students have said that it may be the worst thing about the school. In some classrooms phones even say ‘no service.’ This turns into an even bigger problem when students need their phones to submit assignment and find help for school.

“One time I had to turn in an assignment online and at the last second the WiFi went down in school and I couldn’t submit it,” freshman Jacob Perez said.

Freshman Rachel Llanos said she had an emergency and had to get in contact with her parent but couldn’t because there was no cell phone service. She had to go all the way outside and almost got into trouble. Of course there are always phones that students could use in the office or in class, but this generation is attached to using personal phones.

Students also reported the unpleasant smell of the dumpster outside of the big gym to be a top pet peeve. Other students said it gets so bad that they need to hold their breath and walk fast when encountering it.

Another common pet peeve is loud gum chewing. Some students have said that it bothers them so much to the point that they cannot even focus on their work.

“For some reason, in all of my classes, there is one person that chews on their gum so loud,” junior Ashley Shrewsberry said.

The varying temperatures on campus also frustrated students. Taking a look on campus, one can see some students wearing sweaters while others are wearing tank tops.

“I prefer it to be cold in school because it helps me concentrate, but the 1300 building is so hot that I can’t even handle it,” freshman Arianna Fuller said.

The cringe-worthy noise that comes with scraping one’s nails against something metal is sure to get a reaction. It makes many get goosebumps and students have found that others do it purposefully to bother them.

“I absolutely hate it when people make the squeaky noise that comes with running your nails down the poles or anything like that; it makes me literally cringe,” senior Justin Markoff said.

Another frustration for students is the prevalence of bugs around the school, especially in the bathrooms. Students said this is a result of the excessive garbage on campus, particularly during the lunches. The worst is the bathroom, freshman Nikola Robinson said.  He doesn’t even like to use the bathrooms at all. He feels that a bug will get on him and he won’t be able to use the bathroom in peace.

Slow walking through the halls got under the skin of students who just want to get to class instead of lingering to chat with friends. Frustration mounts when students get stuck in hallway traffic because students stop midstep, while others, according to sophomore Adriana Coronado, walk super slow since they are talking to people.

Even teachers found sources of irritation in school. Theater teacher Oliver Black said one of his biggest pet peeves is when a teacher keeps a student without writing them a pass. He said that since he is an elective teacher, he thinks other teachers assume it does not matter but to him it does.

Black then said his biggest pet peeve in class is when he is talking to a student and another student interrupts without saying excuse me or anything. He said he finds that behavior rude and immature. Freshman Emily Wilson identified with Black’s irritation.  

“I would be upset if I was a teacher and that happened to me, but I am guilty of doing it as well,” Wilson said.

English teacher Paula Wood said her biggest pet peeve is when kids line up at the door at the end of class, but she is still teaching. At the beginning of the year, she told her classes she would hold them past the bell if they did it.

“I am in [Wood’s] class and thankfully my class does not [line up at the door] because I do not want to be held past the bell,” freshman Alissa Pupich said.

From the sound of running nails against metal to the popping gum, minor frustrations infiltrate daily life. While some hate the sound of desks being dragged across the floor, others dislike the format of a classroom. Unfortunately, interior rooms in old buildings will never have reliable cell phone service and there will always be bugs in Florida. However, there are solutions to simpler problems: wear headphones when a loud chewer lurks or walk around that person who’s oblivious. While pet peeves are a nuisance, they will always be creeping around the next corner.