How does it feel to be part of the dumbest generation?
Mark Bauerlein spoke at the first official English club event in the Student Union Building about how this new ‘digital age’ has stupefied the current generation.
For the first time the author and professor visited Idaho on Oct. 8, from Emory University.
He shared his thoughts about how everything from the way we use technology to the education system we have adopted has done nothing to expand or challenge our minds. This doesn’t only produce a lack of a good education in the young generation, but also jeopardizes their future.
“SAT comprehensive reading scores are the lowest they have been in 15 years,” Mark said. “Now is the grueling time to tough it out,” Professor Bauerlein said. “Even if it is not your teachers pushing you, you must make a conscious decision to make the most of your education.”
Student Loni Taber, 26, agreed “I remember a time when I was little and competed in the spelling bee, I actually had to think about spelling. Now it’s just easier to let the computer do the work for me.”
In Mark’s home town in Virginia, he encourages his own students to write their essays by hand in cursive. He believes that by this seeming simple exercise, students will become better writers.
He explained how when you write with a pen and paper you are more closely involved with your writing. It may take a little longer but this will give you time distinguish the words that you compose.
“People are more encaged in their social bubble than ever before and more concerned about that than anything in the real outside world,” Bauerlein said.
How is a young student supposed to relate to and collaborate with a group of various aged colleagues after being raised in what Bauerlein called “age segregated” social media.
However, Mark argued with himself saying that technology itself isn’t what is corrupt. Yet it is the way that we have used it that is shameful.
“The internet cannot be useful if we turn it into our personal ‘daily-me’ which just confirms all of our personal tastes,” Bauerlein said. “And furthermore, we must maintain some area of our life where we unplug from our technology.”
NIC English Teacher, Laura Godfree was inspired by this. “I have been learning more and more that when I get home from work that I need to stop worrying about my email because that is my time to be home with my little girls.”
So is our generation lost? Are our hopes to recovery dashed? Of course not!
After professor Bauerlein spoke, he opened up the rest of the evening to answer audience member’s questions.
One of the first questions asked was “what is your advice to avoid this ‘digital age mindset’?”
Bauerlein’s responded by quoting the book of Philippians.
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
The evening ended with Mark encouraging students to elevate their lives.
He encouraged students to not just settle with what is at hand, decide what is really important in life and push themselves to become greater and pursue knowledge and truth.
