The Moo Zone · 6 September 2025
I do not know why, but students like to line up at the door before class ends. So I have a deterrent. It is called the Moo Zone.
Maybe it is human nature. Maybe it is impatience. Maybe it is clock watching. Maybe it is something else. But whatever it is, students seem to think that they ought to line up at the door to wait for the bell to ring. It is strange.
You would think that they would want to learn more than the class period would allow, and would be surprised that the bell rang to signal the end of the period. You would think that the teacher was so engaging and the subject matter so important that they would be begging for more time. You would think that they just needed a few more minutes or maybe a lot longer to work on that important project. At least that is the way I remember school.
Yeah, right. And if you believe that, I have some beautiful swampland that I will sell you for a great price.
No. I am sure that students have been lining up at classroom doorways as long as there have been classroom doorways. I am not sure what the first kids in the first classrooms wanted to do when they were done with classes, but leaving was probably way more interesting than whatever they were studying. They probably wanted to go do their chores. Or get back to work in the fields.
I am not sure what the motivation is for students to want to leave the classroom as soon as they can, but they sure do want to leave. I do not mind them milling about for a few minutes, but I do have a line. I call it the moo line.
Actually, I call the area near the door, the moo zone. And there is a moo line. It denotes where the moo zone starts. The moo line is not designated by a physical line on the floor, but it is physical line. The moo zone starts where the edge of a set of drafting tables ends and extends to the front and back of the room. It extends both ways because I have two doors in my room.
So what exactly is the moo zone? I am glad you asked.
The moo zone is the area where students are supposed to make noises like herd animals. They are supposed to make such noises because they are behaving like herd animals. Moo. They are lining up at the door because somebody else is lining up at the door. I have seen it happen where one student thinks the period is almost over so he or she gets up to line up. Even though there is lots of time left Then, others see the person and do the same. Moo. On such occasions, I have mentioned how much time is left. Students shrug their shoulders, look at the clock, then head back to their seats to do a little more work. Moo.
Students are free to line up to prepare for departure as long as they do not enter the moo zone. Once they enter the moo zone though, they need to make sounds like herd animals. Moo. Baa. Moo. Baa. They usually oblige once. Then, when I tell them that they need to keep mooing as long as they are in the zone, they usually move out of the zone. Some of them just keep mooing. Or baaing.
I have had a couple students think they are clever and try to meow. I tell them that while teaching is indeed like herding cats, cats are not herd animals so they need to make a herd animal sound. They usually baa. Of course, I am usually not so clever as to remember the part about teaching being like herding cats, but that is beside the point.
I probably should not post this while I am still teaching. After all, somebody might call my boss and insist that I desist from this practice. Then, a bunch more will call and say the same thing. Ah well, so much for a good blog post.
It is almost time to go, so I need to stand at the doorway and look at my watch. Moo.
© 2025 Michael T. Miyoshi
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