STFU

Tonight I went to a "working dinner" event of K-16 teachers and administrators to discuss the process of strengthening the bonds among the various levels of teaching and learning. The first 40 minutes was supposed to be a discussion of the final chapter from My Freshman Year, at assigned-seating tables. At my table, two people dominated the first 15 minutes or so of conversation, whining about how bad today's students are. About how entitled students are, about how lazy they are, about how this is the "first generation to 'rent' rather than 'own' knowledge." As in ( one dude explained to the other), students just retain information long enough to pass the test and then they dump it. Nods of assent all around. And I said, "Well, that's also potentially liberating, isn't it?" And they looked at me with eyes that said: "That's the stupidest effing thing I've ever heard." And then they went on bitching about students.
I don't need to listen to other people bitch about students. I get frustrated enough as it is. Many days I'd be inclined to agree with the dinner table talk. But it doesn't get us any closer to better teaching. I do agree that students may be coming to school with a "rent, not buy" mentality, but I think that's understandable. I think it's exciting to be alive during a time when there's more information available to more people than ever before, and I imagine it'll take a while for culture to sort out how to manage that information. I don't blame students for discarding stuff that no longer seems immediately relevant. I agree that students need to understand the relevancy of knowledge, and I think it's our job to help them figure that out. Maybe I should have more empathy for the old guard, who should be commended for their impressive memories, for "owning" their knowledge. But I don't.