Voitokas

It's a little weird that two beginners should be paired up constantly for practise; if there are any senior students, it's their responsibility to seek out kohai to work with sometimes. It's also your responsibility to work with the senior-most person you can get hold of. Don't be embarrassed to scuttle over to the hakama end of the line as soon as sensei claps so that you can work with someone who will further your education.

I'm sorry about the know-it-all. They do come around, and they are really annoying. I usually deal with them as Chris suggested, smiling and thanking them for their instruction (and then doing my best to avoid working with them for the rest of class). They usually stop coming to class after a year, either because someone deals with them Peter's way, or because they get frustrated that nobody has recognised their martial genius and awarded them a premature black belt.

If it helps any, the annoying guy probably goes through life blaming all of his many troubles on the incompetence of others, and will probably end up living a rather unhappy and mediocre life. He probably deserves your pity more than your anger...

Good luck, and I hope that you get a chance to practise with more sempai!