Overheard: resistance to changing group assignments

Astronomy 210, fall semester 2012
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

(Overheard as students are finding their new group assignments at the start of lecture.)

Student: (Looking at assigned group chart.) "Do we have to be in different groups this week?"

Instructor: "You get assigned to a different group every week. Everyone does."

Student: "But I really liked the group I was in last week. Why can't we stay in our old groups?"

Instructor: "If you change groups every week, you will eventually get to meet everyone else in class. Don't you want to meet new people?"

Student: "I don't want to meet new people."

Instructor: "Who knows? You might get a new group that's even more awesome than last week's. Or are you the type of person who would rather settle for last week's group?"

Student: (Mumbling.) "There's nothing wrong with settling."