Times Change

This is impossible to keep up with, but in general, the idea remains the same.  times change, and things change. The things we as adults grew up with and thought were important and cool, and perhaps still do, are quite irrelevant to the current generation. It's really not very different from when we were young and starting college or were in high school. The culture of the previous generation was also rather irrelevant to us. But having said that, here is my take as we approach June 13, 2014.

Students beginning college in the Fall of 2000 were born in 1982. While many college teachers lament the skills and knowledge of these students, let’s take a look at what the world may mean to them in terms of their familiarity with the culture. Many of these young men and women will major in education and someday become teachers. If arguably one task of teachers is to play a part in the transmission of the culture and heritage, then the crucial question of the culture and sense of heritage being transmitted must be answered. While there are many exceptions, in general the following describes many, if not most entering college students.

These students have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era, and do not know he had ever been shot. They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged. Black Monday in 1987 is as meaningful to them as the Great Depression.

They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War. There has been only one Pope, and they have never feared a nuclear war. CCCP is just a bunch of letters to them, and they have only known one Germany. They are too young to remember the Challenger exploding and Tiananmen Square means nothing to them.

Their lifetimes have always included AIDS, smallpox is unknown to them, they have never had a polio shot and likely do not know what it is.

Bottle caps have always been screw-off. They do not know what a pull-top can looks like. Cars have always used unleaded gas, and the word "carburetor" is unknown to them. Gas stations have always been self-service.

Atari predates them as do vinyl albums. The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them. They have never owned a record player. Star Wars looks very fake and the special effects are pathetic.

The compact disk was introduced when they were one year old. As far as they know, stamps always cost at least 32 cents. Zip Codes have always had a dash in them. They have always had an answering machine. Most have never seen a TV with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black-and-white TV. They have always had cable. They cannot fathom not having remote control.

They never took a swim and thought about "Jaws." They have never seen Larry Bird play, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a football player. The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as W.W.I, W.W.II, or even the Civil War. They have no idea Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.

December 7, 1941 means nothing to them. Omaha Beach? They didn’t know Omaha had a beach, but they’re glad it does. They don’t know what Tarawa or Iwo Jima were about and Hiroshima and Nagasaki are probably places where they make Japanese cars.

They know nothing specific about Gandhi, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, FDR, or Jefferson Davis. Charlemagne and Saladin are unknown to them. The significance of the Crusades or even when they occurred is a mystery. The "New Deal" is probably about some upcoming sale somewhere, and it’s not clear just where the Panama Canal is located. As far as the Suez Canal is concerned, fuggiddaboutit.

This is a small slice, a glimpse as it were of the "knowledge" students bring to college. Mathematics, science, and literature are other matters. One may reasonably expect that the next generation of teachers, those who are now replacing and will continue to replace the graying, retiring "Baby Boomer" teachers will be transmitting a culture and sense of heritage largely unrecognizable to their "Baby Boomer" grandparents.