What I Learned From My College Students This Semester
The only job I’ve kept for more than two years has been my job as an adjunct professor at The City College of New York, one of the most diverse campuses in the world. I am not there for the pay — adjuncts are woefully underpaid across the nation, something I will address in a future blog.
CCNY has one of the most diverse campuses in the world. Its undergraduates are mainly majoring in engineering, pre-med, architecture, or the sciences, although there are dozens and dozens of other majors.
Most of them do not want to take the main class I teach, Foundations of Speech. However, it is required, so they show up on the first day, often with a sigh and a scowl. It is my job to wipe that scowl off their faces.
Teaching public speaking is like few other classes in college. Unlike composition courses (which I have also taught), students have to prepare speeches and present them publicly, whereas in a writing class, usually I am the only one reading their papers. In this way, they learn from each other and I learn from all of them. I’ve often told my speech classes, “In the end, I will learn at least as much as you do in this class.” When I think of the thousands of 5–7 minute speeches I’ve heard in the last fourteen years, my mind reels. I still remember the best ones.
When I hear people of my generation say, “Oh, these kids today . . .”, I quickly fill them in on what “my kids” are doing. Pre-pandemic (and on a limited scale during), I had my speech students put their speaking skills to use in the world with a group project. The projects I’ve seen over the years are worthy of a separate blog.
Sure, there will always be a few lazy students and a few cheaters. They were there when I was in college. But, all in all, I would say today’s kids are more aware of the world’s problems and multicultural knowledge than my generation was in the ‘80s.
With that in mind, I wanted to share just a small sampling of things I learned from my students’ speeches this semester. Enjoy!
· A plastic water bottle will last for 500 years in a landfill before it breaks down.
· The average debt of an American adult is $90K.
· Charcoal products are an effective and cheaper remedy for skin care.
· It takes 342 million barrels of oil per year to produce synthetic fabrics; textile production produces more greenhouse gases than international flights and maritime shipping combined.
· 92% of scientists are in favor of animal testing.
· The oud, an ancestor of the lute, is an essential instrument in Arabic music.
· 70% of climate change damage comes from the world’s 100 top corporations.
· Seneca Village was one of the first free black communities in New York City, located on the Upper West Side. It was eventually cleared out to make room for Central Park. As of 2019, there is an exhibition in Central Park called The Seneca Village Site.
· The lizard people conspiracy theory, popularized by David Icke, says that reptile aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate people. Approximately 12 million Americans (or 4% of registered voters) believe this theory.
· An ecobrick is a plastic bottle packed with used plastic, which can be used as building blocks to make structures.
· It’s okay to clip the wings on your pet bird; in fact, there are many desirable reasons to do so and, done correctly, it does not hurt the bird.
· NYPD Explorers is an extracurricular activity that serves students from ages 14–20, which involves community service and helps strengthen ties between the community and the police, and serves as an introduction to a career in law enforcement.
· In chicken factories, 95% of chickens are kept in wire cages with 67 square inches of space, and most have the tips of their beaks cut off after hatching to keep them from pecking each other out of stress. A chicken’s life span is 5–10 years, but they are slaughtered at about six weeks.
Granted, some of these statistics come from persuasive speeches (but they are required to list their sources), so opposing arguments could be made. But isn’t it great to celebrate our students’ thinking, and that they can bring awareness to us oldies?
As the song says, “I believe the children are our future . . . “. And I’m not scared.
