There are many types of slow and careless walkers that roam the halls of Lafayette that can either cause tardies, injury, or anger. But there are three main types of walkers that wreak the most havoc.

The “make out in the middle of the hall couple”: Yes, I do realize this is high school and young love is in the air, but please show your love in a corner or off to the side, and not in the middle of the hallway. I understand you are a teenager and you can multitask. You may be able to text and pay attention during class or watch 16 and Pregnant while writing your Language Arts essay, but you cannot full on make out and walk through Lafayette’s crowded halls at the same time. You may try, but you will not succeed.

The “have a conversation with 2 or more friends in the middle of the hall” (mainly freshmen): I understand you are a teenager and you must socialize regularly with your friends. But once again, do so off to the side, and not in the middle of the hallway. It is mainly freshman girls that commit this offense. What they do is hold a full blown conversation with 2 or more people, while walking. It essentially looks like a traveling school of fish, fish discussing their weekend plans, and how much they hate Algebra. When you hold these traveling meetings during passing periods, you create a large impassable human barrier that stops at random times and disrupts everyone’s day.

The “texter”: You are walking through the hall, when all of a sudden you remember that it is pizza day at lunch, and you don’t have any money in your account! So, you must immediately text your mom to tell her to give you money. You begin to text her when all of a sudden you have a head on collision with another Lafayette student. You are now deemed an offender of Texting and Walking, also known as T.A.W. People who commit T.A.W are easy to spot if they show any of the signs listed below:

1)      Swerves to the left and right in a ziz-zag pattern

2)      Runs into a wall or an unopened door

3)      Walks up the stairs and then all of a sudden trips and falls

If you see any person exhibit these behaviors, get a minimum of 8 feet behind them and walk with caution, because any one of us can become a victim of Texting and Walking, and the emotional and physical toll it causes someone, is something you would not wish on your worst enemy.

The commute during passing period can be easy and safe as long as reckless walkers do not interfere. So please, when you do need to make out, talk about how much you hate that one person in your science class, or text your mom about how you are broke, please do so off to the side, and NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY.