Some Things Never Change

In the second summer session, I'm taking two classes - group counseling and human development across cultures. In the second class, the majority of the students are recent college graduates, White and female. This is actually more atypical compared to the classes I've taken thus far so it has been interesting to navigate my age-ism that kicks in. That is, I experience profound frustration when classmates don't speak up. All I can think is. "People, we're in graduate school and we're here to learn from each other. This isn't like an undergraduate classroom where you are fed information and you sit like lumps on a log." Yes, those are my judgmental thoughts and they bum me out. I don't like thinking this way but there you go. Then I was reminded that my classmates closer to my age do the same so I guess it isn't age-specific.

Of course I also realize that talking about diversity is generally difficult for those who are in the majority. However, I feel that the lack of cultural competence of many recent college graduates is a reflection of how colleges and universities are failing to teach and model diverse conversations and relationships to their students.

Or maybe it's just the age of Facebook, Twitter and Smart Phones that has hindered the ability for people to participate in live discussions. And it's not only the millenials but also those of my generation who are at the very tail end of the boomers who have gotten sucked into this mode of communication. Yet I'm guilty as anyone else who would rather text than call. Perhaps it's not better or worse but still, I'm kinda missing those long talks over coffee or debates in classes.

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