Once The Teacher's Pet . . .

My immersion in Hollywood’s response to the Great Depression was supposed to be a survey of the singer-songwriters of the 1970s.  

I am referencing the fact that my first-choice continuing education class for the fall semester was canceled due to a lack of interest. So much for Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, et al. The registrar offered me the chance to choose another class; the only thing that looked compelling was about 1930s American films.

 

I originally assumed that studying films of The Great Depression would be depressing. This turned out to be unfounded. Films like The Public Enemy, My Man Godfrey, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington show, by turns, America’s shock, resilience, defiance, and eventual emergence from one of the bleakest times in our history. 

I learned that Hollywood’s responses to the Great Depression went through four phases: lawlessness, radicalism, screwball comedies, and restoration.

 

But there’s more. In the course of this course, I turned out to be something of the teacher’s pet. As a recovering English major, analysis and interpretation come naturally to me. Armed with a list of insights notated on my iPhone, the rest of the class oohed and ahhed as I offered acumen with abandon.

 

What does it feel like to be the teacher’s pet at my age? Pretty disgusting, actually. There is still a part of me that would prefer not to lean in, but, like the cool kids in days of yore, sit in the back of the class throwing spitballs. Instead, my teacher told me I was doing his job for him, and I felt like the nerd I always was in class. I can’t quit being the teacher’s pet.

 

On another level, being back in class made me grateful for my education. From high school history classes when we listened to Lenny Bruce and studied Impressionism – something that was controversial at the time – to college American Studies courses, I am well prepared to go beyond the history of states and dates and to empathize with people who endured difficulty and changing times.

 

What will the teacher’s pet do for an encore next semester? I don’t know yet. As I plan to continue learning in my retirement, I can assure you I will do all my homework and sit in the front row. Some things never change.