For months I’ve been distracted, entertained, and puzzled by the signs that I see posted in public. And because I’ve talked about some of the odd signs that I’ve seen, friends have also sent me pictures of even more odd signs. I have too many pictures to post here, but below is a very small sampling.
The category of signs that I’ve seen the most is those in public restrooms, reminding people to flush the toilet. What is that about? I know that our society has become much more tolerant of crude language, discourteous behavior, and name-calling in public, but do we really need to be reminded to flush the toilet? Or is it because we’re used to automatic toilets, so we forget the old-fashioned kind that require our assistance?
Do we really need to be told not to throw rocks in a public space?
Do we really need to be told that drinking water isn’t for rinsing our hands at an outdoor restaurant?
I asked some friends to help me think about what these signs might tell us or signify. A friend suggested that weird restroom signs can teach us an important lesson about supporting students. And here’s her contribution to my collection of weird restroom signs.
I think she’s on to something. Do we too often assume too much about what our students know? We serve many first generation students, and many students for whom English isn’t their first language. We serve many students who have imposter syndrome and look for reasons to confirm that they’re not “college material”.
We should not assume that students understand what a professor’s office hours are for, or that students are comfortable asking questions in class (or during office hours). We should not assume that students know the power of tutoring, or that they know what a blue book is, or that they’ve learned how to take notes or do old-fashioned research.
Our job is to be alert to who our students are, and to be intentional in how we support them. Our job is to offer help, encouragement, explanations, and clarity. While it seems obvious to me that we shouldn’t throw rocks in public (!), and that we should rinse our hands in the restroom rather than with drinking water, perhaps I should not assume too much. In the world today, perhaps I might need to think differently about why signs are there. And with our students, I expect that we all need to be more alert to how we might help and not assume that everyone brings the same knowledge to the learning enterprise. Let’s be signs that point the way to support, resources, learning labs, or office hours. Let’s be signs of affirmation and compassion and understanding. Our students will benefit, and Central Texas will be the better for it.