[ba-unrev-talk] Humble pie in academia
In recent weeks I have been finding out what old is. I registerd for two
computer courses at Vanier College: (1) UNIX through Linux and (2)
Programming In Java. The Java course I am taking together with my son
Marc, who already is familiar with two other object-oriented languages.
Myself, I have programmed in BASIC and 15 years ago gave several times a
course in BASIC on pocket computers to college teachers. (01)
Although I have obtained most of my academic credentials in adult life,
getting my straight-A M.Ed. when I was past 50 (and which included for
me a course in the rather heavily mathematical quantum chemistry), I now
find that the Java course is challenging me almost beyond endurance. I
can't follow the teacher and it is Marc who is helping with
"translating" her to me. Absorbing new concepts goes slower than
molasses, which puts me way behind on schedule. Astuteness in problem
solving is shot to hell. And my first exam in the UNIX course - in which
I happen to understand and know things almost perfectly - showed that
where some puzzling was involved answers came so slow as to be
upsetting; upshot is that an exam that should have produced 90+ is
probably barely getting me something like 60-65 (I haven't received it
back yet.) This goes to exemplify that society measures the quality of
people with tools not suited to measuring old farts. That's where the
process runs roughshot over one's dignity. (02)
Quite objectively speaking, it is my experience as both student and
teacher that academic mismeasuring is the bane of younger adults, and
even young, people as well! One wonders how much good, healthy brain
power gets renedered unproductive in the process. Society has yet a lot
to learn about itself. Maybe everybody should take a course whose
substance is way over one's head; it'll cure a lot of pride and prejudice. (03)
Time and again I have been asking myself why I begun this, but then
again, if we are in the business of augmenting minds, we better learn
more about minds, including ageing ones. In the meantime it looks as if
I won't get much done on Fleabyte until either I drop out or the course
(first part) is finished in mid-December. I hope that I can put the
experience (aside from learning Java) to good, productive use in the
interest of others. I have here a book called "The Ageing Brain" by
Lawrence Whalley, professor and head of Mental Health at the University
of Aberdeen. From what I read, I ought to regard myself as privileged
for still performing reasonably well in the upper compartment - although
searching for clues through Java programs is a bit of a mental Mount
Everest. (04)
So, if, at 75, I am somewhat slow and erratic in my responses and with
the publishing Fleabyte, please bear with me. (05)
Henry (06)
N.B. Simple sample question from the UNIX exam: give a command to
seggregate from a list of files those with four-character names. (By
straight file manipulation; no scripts.) (07)