Learning from my students

It's March 31, 2009. Supposedly, I'm in the last hour before the Conflicker virus starts its magic with computers all over the world.

Today, one of my students explained that this new virus can attack many computers and websites in an instant, leaving them slow, ailing and incompetent. I got sick for a moment, the one I get every time I think of some 19-year-old kid sitting in his messy bedroom pumping out code to ruin the world. Then I thought -- heck, I have a Mac; I'll be cool.

Tonight, I start looking on my computer and realize that Macs aren't completely immune. The free-for-30-days virus software will work. Download. Run. I'm good I guess.

If Josh hadn't spoken up today, I may not have known about the virus. It's not on the Apple homepage, and I hadn't heard it on the news. Maybe it's an April Fool's joke. Maybe not.

Every once in a while, my students teach me something. I have come to depend on their knowledge for such things as good movies to rent (and which ones I can show my kids), where to eat and even what to do for entertainment over the weekend.

College kids will keep me young for many years to come. I get a happy little feeling when one of my female students tells me my shoes are cute or my hair looks nice. I also take a certain amount of pride in them asking me what I think about current events.

Maybe I'll make them smarter, but they will definitely make me "cooler." Or, should I say "tight"er?

The world is your wide web ... enjoy!