The Last Class

Today, I had the pleasure of watching The Last Class, a new film featuring Robert Reich, one of my heroes.

We see him teaching his Wealth and Poverty class at UC Berkley. We hear him talk about getting older and what it means to retire. (While he won’t stop teaching, he isn’t teaching at the college anymore.)

There are several touching moments, especially for me as I remember the years I spent teaching at the college level.

Because I’m familiar with the content of his Wealth and Poverty course, I wasn’t surprised by his teaching moments in the film. Still, I enjoyed seeing how he interacts with his students and teaching assistants.

I sometimes wonder if I’ll do more teaching and what the context might be for that. I think about the importance of learning. It’s not just about gaining skills that may be useful in a future job. It’s about growing. It’s about inhabiting a larger world than you’ve known before.

I never want to stop learning.

I never want to stop sharing what I learn with others.

Teaching is a noble profession.

Learning is precious!