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September 06, 2006
Last couple days
So I went to see the Red Sox/White Sox game Monday night. It didn't get exciting until the last few innings, and then I left before the 10th inning when the Red Sox hit a walkoff homerun to win. Grrr. However, probably the most interesting thing that I saw at the game was a person holding a sign that said "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" Not sure if the mistake was intentional or not.
Yesterday was my first day of classes and orientation. The Dean spoke to our department and told us we had chosen "wisely and well." We'll be under the tutelage of seasoned professionals. He encouraged us to use this time to educate ourselves well and not to watch too much TV or spend too much time on the Internet. This was ironic advice for me, since part of my work involves doing just that. He said some things to which I say amen, like the fact that we should all work on being good writers and that we need to focus on good grammar and spelling. But he also said some things that make me glad I went to Covenant, like the idea that we will all be "products" of the BU graduate school and we need to uphold its "reputation" when we leave. I wanted to raise my hand and say "But we're all people too!" I remained silent, however, since I know it's a privilege to be here. But fundamentally I know that education should be about the whole human being and not just the measurable value that person can or will bring to society.
The Dean also lamented the probability of many undergrads not making the most of their education and continuing to "read Maxim and Cosmo instead of the Economist, which is the best news magazine in the world." Of course, he was talking to us grad students, who are more likely to take full advantage of educational opportunities, but I suppose he still felt it necessary to tell us this. All in all, it was a strange speech, but I think I got the gist of it. It's rather hard to reproduce into printed words.
On a side note, I love the transition I make at the end of the day from the land of endless students on Commonwealth Ave to the rich diversity of the working class on Dorchester Ave. It is such a rush to do this every day.
| By heiders | 05:46 PM
Comments
So you actually live on "Dorchester Ave"? Is that like the main drag in Dorchester?
Posted by: Anna at September 7, 2006 09:17 AM
