Can We Talk 2

Taking Courses

         I just spent an hour reviewing a catalog of courses on DVD. There were some great ones, but I couldn't choose. Unfortunately, none stood out. With so much to choose from, I chose none. I had recently looked at some on-line courses, and passed on those, too.

         From improving your vocabulary, writing better sentences, or analytical writing to studying the night sky, American history, or yoga, the choices were varied. Calculus didn't grab me. Sometimes we need less selection. Like a child, I can't pick out one thing in a toy store.

         So instead, I'm making my "to do" list and I'm going to clear the slate by taking care of immediate matters. I'm also afraid that after making an investment, I'll lose interest or won't finish. Or it might be a lousy course. I do have plenty of projects to finish. If I did take a course, the on-line version would probably be better for me, because there are deadlines, and an instructor to whom I would be responsible.

         The night sky thing interested me, but I think I'd be better off with a real professor and real people going out onto the lawn at night and looking up after the lecture.

         Learning is something that should never stop. We're never too old to learn new things. The thought passes through my head, "When will I ever use "western civilization" now?" I've barely used the education I already have, except for my own personal enjoyment. It certainly never helped my career. I have had many bosses who barely could put sentences together or use proper grammar, who never got a degree. But they had the personality to succeed.

         Paul Goodman, the elite educator of the 60's and 70's, said the college degree was not a driver's license. It was not intended to get a job for the graduate. I came from that school of thought. Too bad. That's passe now. Educators now push degrees that result in jobs. Liberal arts are not the means to careers. Institutions of higher learning now struggle with that. French majors, for instance, hardly ever make big donations to their Alma Mata. So they see the French department as a liability, not an asset, one the board of visitors can't get rid of--yet.

         I'm going to settle for reading for right now. Maybe in the spring, I'll take a class.