Taking the Big Blue Bus on Pico in Santa Monica on a Wednesday at 3:45pm in September will include MANY students.
All staff & students ride free with their Santa Monica College ID.
I stood for one mile of my trip to catch a movie. (Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool) Looking at all the young students seated in the seats reserved for Seniors & Disabled Persons. (oblivious to my presence, maybe I don’t look 70;)
Once I grabbed a seat when a student exited the bus, I couldn’t avoid a conversation between two young female students.
These were students of privileged households apparent by their clothes, expensive handbags & Bose wireless headphones on their laps and $1,000 iPhones.
The two were friends (maybe)..hard to tell because one was talking non-stop as the other listened attentively. When the quiet student did eventually talk, she seemed to be blown off or scolded by the talker.
The talker was going on and on about one of her professors. Over and over, she would critically explain what the professor had lectured and say, “why don’t he just shut up!”
My mind was spinning, hearing past conversations about what I feared was the overuse of videos in the classroom compared to lecturing.
If this was the first time overhearing young students complaining about a professor’s lecture, I would be unconcerned. Not the case.
Many screen addicted youth attending our classes don’t seem to appreciate the 8 to 12 years of college and more years of life experiences we professors have been through.
I don’t pretend to know where this is all headed. BUT, it does help explain why I overuse this phrase lately.
“It’s a good time to be 70”