Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Youth ...

Yesterday afternoon, I paid a visit to a class at St. Joseph's University, my alma mater. It was the first time I had set foot on campus in more than 35 years - at least. I was flabbergasted by how much it had changed. It was obviously bigger. There were many more buildings than when I was there, and a lot more students, I imagine.
But it turned out that the obvious change was also, in a way, superficial. Sam Starnes, who taught the class, used to review for me, and is obviously a good teacher - and that is what you could find at St. Joe's when I was there. The place is still populated, I gather, by people who know how to teach, which necessarily means that they like to - it takes passion to teach well.
The students were equally impressive. To be honest, they struck me as notably more sophisticated than my own classmates and I were those many years ago.
One of the students, a young man named Chris, walked with me to the train station afterward (it was on his way). He was very bright and engaging, with, it seemed to me, a much more realistic grasp of life than I had when I was his age. We talked about Don DiLillo and what it takes to write well - Chris, interestingly enough, is quite aware that one thing it is good to have if you want to be a writer is experience - of real life, not just life as found in books. Chris also told me that St. Joe's still imposes on its students a fairly heavy load of philosophy. Once again, the school had changed less than I thought - and had held on to things that had made a difference in my life.
And once again I have encountered that younger generation about which so much complaint is heard - that they don't read, for instance - and have come away with no complaint at all. Chris reads, and it looks to me as if a good number of his classmates do as well.
I don't know what, if anything, Sam's students got out of hearing an aging futzer like me bloviate to them for an hour so. But I got a lot out of my encounter with them. I think the future is in better hands than many people think.

3 comments:

  1. What a lovey writeup of a lovely experience, Frank! It brought a smile on my face, and I found myself reading slowly as the end approached, for I did not want it to finish:)

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  2. A wonderful story. This is exactly why I like hanging out with the younger generation, whenever I get a chance. They fill me with hope.

    The world does keep on going, despite all the doomsayers.

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  3. Anonymous8:08 PM

    Hi, Frank (or Hey Frank, as the students write!). Glad you had the chance to come home and visit, and sorry I missed you at SJU. You were lucky enough to meet, and walk to the station with, one of my finest students, Chris Childress, and I'm glad to publish his full name here for all to see! Hurrah for him, and for so many other splendid English majors. Warmest regards! Joe Feeney, S.J.

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