I love these kids

Before I go further, I want to assure you that I don't use the term "kids" in a disparaging way. Some young people are insulted when they're called kids and that's not the intent here at all. To illustrate what I mean, there's a fellow that sometimes shows up at one of the local watering holes who's pushing 90 and, when he does, he instructs the bartender to "give these kids what they want." Kids in this case meaning anyone younger than him which everyone there is. That's how I use the term too. Anyone younger than me is a kid.

I am one of the most fortunate people in the world to have a job and a career that is never boring, never routine and never something I don't want to do. I love college teaching. I love my students. They keep me young, informed, and up to date and I'm able to forge friendships with many of them that last long after they've left MCC and some of them last a lifetime. This semester has been especially gratifying because most of my classes and students are outstanding.

The kids I'm speaking of in the title of today's column are the students in my Sociology of Rock and Roll class. They're such a great bunch. I have older students and younger students and a fairly equal mix of girls and guys and they just energize me every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. They are excited about the class and excited about learning how music and culture intertwine and influence each other. And they don't miss class. I mean they don't EVER miss class. When we discuss the notes we've taken after watching a video, their notes are sometimes even more thorough than mine.

A couple of the girls usually show up barefoot. There's no doubt in my mind they would have been flower children had they been born forty years sooner. They all have high energy and high spirits and their enthusiasm literally transcends the classroom setting, creating an atmosphere for learning and sharing like I've rarely encountered in my teaching career. And on top of everything else that makes this such a unique class, they're also really smart. Several of them have told me they plan on taking my Sociology of Love and Relationships class next Spring Semester so, as much as I hate for this class to end, I'll look forward to seeing them back in class next semester to handle a new set of problems and challenges.

We hear a lot of bad things these days about the younger generation and the condition of our educational system but, from my perspective, I think our future looks bright and promising. Young people have been disparaged for the past forty years by demanding the voting age be lowered from 21 to 18 and then when it was, they didn't exercise it. Older adults saw that as being apathetic at best and unpatriotic at worst but what seems apparent to me, from the large percentage of young people that voted in the past election was that young people will exercise their right to vote when they feel like they're voting FOR something or someone instead of just voting to say they voted. So whether we're teachers, politicians, or parents, it's our job to give them something to be excited ABOUT and when we do, they respond in kind.

And so to Chris (the old guy in the group), Katie, Nicole, Kristen, Tracy, Kayleigh, Brett, Jesse, Jon, Allison, and Mitch; thank you for teaching me as much or more this semester than I've taught you.