A Bleak Future for America

[comrade_robinov]

Today I spent an hour lecturing my students on what it means to be an "educated person."

Then I let them go 15 minutes early, inviting those who had actually done the reading to stay to discuss Herbert Hoover's "Rugged Individualism." Only three students stayed, and only two seemed to have actually read it.

Comments

[sandokai]

What did your lecture say?

I'm surprised sometimes to see how much they still care. Some of them are in crisis though. This is when the homesickness, lovesickness and all the other sicknesses kick in. Ie... take heart!

[comrade_robinov]

I covered an awful lot, but I started with the syllabus--what Loyola says they need to learn--and explained why being able to read carefully and to evaluate texts is at the heart of writing.

I then suggested that they have to read texts that are so difficult precisely because they are difficult. Just as Shakespeare is now easier for them than it was in junior high, so too are other "old" texts. They only way to improve is by practicing.

I then read a few paragraphs from Wayne Booth's great essay, "Is There Any Knowledge That a Man Must Have?" and trying to relate his ideas to the assignments in our class

[sandokai]

Neat-- you really brought in a lot of interesting things.

[owl_love21406]

:/ Well, if you let them out early --- I would have probably gone home early too.... no offense :P I think when I was younger I would have stayed in class though.

[comrade_robinov]

That's interesting. I would have thought that older students would be more likely to stay. I think I probably would have left, too.