More of My University of Phoenix Experience As I Get My Edumacation

Yes "I am a Phoenix". As a class we have moved on into Humanities. This class is taught by a gentleman by the name of (I don't usually name names in my blog but this time I am making an exception) of Jacob Kolander. Mr. Kolander's day job is as a high school teacher of English at a charter school here Albuquirky. The reason I brought up his name is that he at least makes this class interesting. I don't know what the UoP is paying Kolander (I am sure that they spared no expense the cheap bastards) but they are not paying him enough. In my humble opinion I would say that he is a credit to the teaching profession. If you ever read this Jacob, you get the big Phoenix bird thumbs up. Because I am a Phoenix and I gettin' my edumacation thar.
 I have explained to you in an earlier post that I have entered college at the ripe old age of 61. Last Tuesday evening the vast generational difference was illustrated between I and not only my classmates but the instructor as well. The teach, or who I fondly refer to as "Sonny" prescribed a short individual class assignment that evening. I must back track. In this class we are discussing the influence on our society (what's left of it) of the media. The media would of course include all of the different forms that we have had throughout this countries history up to today. Tuesday evening we discussed such interesting topics as the news media and its affect upon our society and we also got into talking about musics affect upon our culture. Hey all well and good and we actually had a half way stimulating conversation that evening. anyway back to the individual class assignment.
 Well Kolander who I so fondly refer to him as "Sonny"  ever since he informed me that I was seven years younger than his father. To which I replied "so what's your point Sonny?". So I did a little calculation and figured out that I am at least 20 years older than "Sonny". So the assignment was to research what the top rock and roll tunes were when we graduated from high school. I gradumatated from Coquille High School in Coquille, Oregon in June of 1967. Yes that is forty mumble mumble hurmph cough choke three friggin' years ago. You can see that since I am now a college student that I still use the "F" word but since I am getting edumacated I have cleaned it up some but I assure you that it still means the same. So I trotted off the the library resource center (a fancy term that the UoP uses to describe the commons where all of the computers are) to look up what songs were popular in the year of our Lord 1967 AD.
 Some of you may remember that the #1 song by the #1 group was "Penny Lane" by the Beatles. The flip side was "Strawberry Fields Forever". The #2 song that year was "Respect" by Aretha Franklyn and the #3 song was "Let's Spend The Night Together" by Mick and the gang. Those of you that were there (1967 not Coquille) can remember, well at least most of you can, those great tunes. So after I had so proudly obtained the information required of "Sonny" I limped back to class. Previously when I say I trotted up to the resource center well I was just being artistically descriptive.
 Since I am the oldest in the class ol' JK had me go first. I informed the class that in 1967 is when we actually had music. Of course when I say 1967 all I get is this blank deer starein' in the headlight look. Just to illustrate one of my classmates refers to his 1990 Mustang as a classic car. So I proceeded with my presentation reminding the class that this is when this country had real music instead of the crap that they call music today. I refereed to the Rolling Stones song and relayed to the class that I watched them on the Ed Sullivan Show when they first sang that song live in the United States. I told the story of how Ed Sullivan made the group change the tittle to "Let's Spend Some Time Together" so the song would not be so controversial. Again the deer starein' into the headlight look. I tell ya that the more that I am with these young people the more that I believe that they think that the world started when they were born.
 So to illustrate the vast generational difference the teach asked who was the next person that had graduated from high school. So after some tense moments of looking at each other and the teach counting down the decades one individual raised his hand and stated "1999". Yes that is right you can do the math.....32 years. My reaction was that there had been a hell of a lot of music going on in between. The last student to respond was 2004. Hell these kids just barely learned to wipe their ass.
 It is no wonder that when I get home from school on Tuesday evening that i feel so old. My learning team has an assignment next week to come up with a thesis statement on how rock and roll has had an effect upon our culture other than for entertainment value. All I can say is my teammates are lucky to have such a resource as I to help them out with that assignment. Like I have mentioned to them "hey sex, drugs and rock and roll what more information do you need".
 Well that is my little adventure from the University of Phoenix. I is a Phoenix. Hey did you notice that there are no links to my eBay store. How 'bout that huh?

 Until we meet again

Happy Trails

Duane