When I Was in School

If you’ve ever caught yourself (or heard a colleague) begin a sentence with “when I was in med/grad/undergrad school…” followed by the nostalgic refrain on how things used to be better, it might be time for an intentional pause. Before we default to comparison, we need to consider (and likely better understand): what reference points craft the view through which our students are experiencing education (and life) today?

It’s true that earlier versions of schooling may have fostered specific strengths and skills (and not just learning cursive). But much of what prior generations experienced is wrapped in nostalgia and comfort with the familiar. Our task as educators in 2025 and beyond is to move beyond our memory of the classroom and seek a deeper understanding of both the similarities and profound differences between our educational past and today’s higher education reality.

Not everything new and/or requested by our students is inherently “bad” or less rigorous. Yes, reading and analyzing primary texts remains essential to developing expertise. But is today's expert defined by memorizing the details of one key text, or instead by navigating, synthesizing, and extending that knowledge through technology, collaboration, and constant information exchange?

Most of us “old folks” had access to our professors' live lectures, maybe a fuzzy photocopy of printed slides, and the required textbook. When confused, we re-read chapters, attended office hours, or trekked to the library to hunt for alternatives. While these options are still valid, we must also be willing to embrace and encourage diverse learning sources and modalities, and most importantly, help students develop the skills to discern quality in the digital age.

So, what would it look like to bring forward the best of our educational experiences? Not by clinging to what’s most familiar to us, but by identifying what’s truly best for our students, and combining it with an understanding of how today’s learners access, process, and engage with knowledge.

Let’s make our content delivery transparent - not just about what we’re teaching or how, but why. Let’s account for more than our own preferences and intentionally explore our students' generational reference points. Only then can we move past the tired refrain of “when I was in school” and into a more curious, generous, and forward-looking coda:

“I’m so excited to try something new here.”