I Was Greeted by a Smell That Must Have Been an Amalgam of Soiled Pants, Sweaty Palms, and Saved...

I was greeted by a smell that must have been an amalgam of soiled pants, sweaty palms, and saved periodicals. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the classroom were the ajar back doors, clearly an indication that the professor was met by the same greeter. I attended the Henry George School of Social Science earlier in the week to take a free economics refresher course. It was enjoyable so I returned on this particular Friday night to hear another free lecture. It’s like free cone day in the winter- I don’t need it but it’s free, so I’ll take it and digest what I’m given.  There were about 40 people in the room, all seemingly oblivious to the smell. They appear anxious for the lecture to begin and I notice their shoulders are curled forward from the heaviness of their weighty thoughts. These students are much older than I, they have slight accents, and they are certainly poor but none are mendicants. They’re not seated here to cadge a meal, beg for a job, or mooch. They are here to learn. Somehow they manage to be extremely attentive students while also still invested in their own ruminations. Inside of ten minutes, I left my mid-section seat and walked to stand at the back of the classroom. I wasn’t running from the stench, even though I did realize I was unfortunately sitting in the same row as the lead emitter. Instead, I had to find another seat because the occasional “mmm hmms” from the crowd and the erratic head nodding of the woman next to me was such an overwhelming kinetic act and unlike any other experience I’ve had in a classroom. They don’t wait for the instructor to finish his screed before they comment and they comment in decibels that hurt my eardrums. They long for this free education. It is obviously the highlight of their day. You would think their senectitude would cause them to be more carefree, but they care about government laws and sustainable development as much as the young protesters occupying the streets. Oh, do they care. There is even the regular attendee who enjoys proselytizing in the corner. A man too agitated to take a seat. He doesn’t hide his feelings that failed health care programs are, to him, a galling setback to his career plans.  As a nation, we are a far cry from the revoluntionary thoughts of Thomas Paine, who was one of the earliest proponents of universal and free public education. Our taxes go towards war, not tuition fees. My incredibly smart parents always told me that education is the equalizer for all people and a seminal component to poverty alleviation. Many other countries offer free education. For example, Denmark has universal free education and provides a monthly stipend to students over 18 years of age. Greece and Argentina provide free education at all levels, including university. I’ve been thinking a lot about where the hungry go to learn. Sure, we can all be autodidacts and teach ourselves by reading the newspaper but classrooms are still the safest place to recapitulate what you read; to ensure you understood what you read. Conterminously, I’ve been thinking about the recent news that Cooper Union College, after 110 years of free education, will start charging graduate students. These students will probably pay for this education. They’ll agree to years of paying off student loans for that pedigree. Most of them have probably never heard of the Henry George School, and they probably never will. It’s ok because those students at Henry George have formed their own community.  Vintage: My beautiful younger sister in elementary school