BACK IN THE DAY

Just the other day I caught part of a Christian radio show, and a young student called in to speak about the difficulty he was having with his teacher, (history I presume). The problem he was having was that his teacher took issue with his use of the standard epoch indication for recorded history before the birth of Jesus, namely--B.C.. The student was told to change the indication to B.C.E., which stands for "Before the Common Era." I had trouble hearing the whole account because I was at work, but it sounded as though the kid said he wished to use B.C., and was told by his teacher that he would either change his paper or his grade would be forfeit.

I only took notice of the "new" indicator about fifteen or twenty years ago. I really don't remember. I know that it has been in use for much longer than that. In my earlier years I just didn't happen to invest time in the kinds of history books or technical journals that might have used B.C.E. or C.E.. There are good teachers and there are bad teachers. Some bad teachers can be egotistical intellectual bullies. I have two nephews who have earned 4.0 grade averages all through their academic careers. One of them was accepting a paper back from one of his college teachers who was well aware of their academic record. He took out his pen in front of my nephew and told him point-blank that he didn't think any student should go through school with straight 'A's. He change his grade to a B+ right there. When I heard the story, I wanted to drive the three-and-a-half hours to my nephew's college and throttle his professor. I didn't, of course.

The interesting thing is that such heavy-handedness by an unfair or deeply opinionated teacher can actually be a valuable lesson for a young person with the right mindset. "Golly, thanks Mr. Cleaver." I'm laughing here, but it's very true. My nephew was upset but he rose above it, valuing the job he did as the best he could do and accepting the outcome.

I didn't get to hear the advice that the host gave the kid on the radio, but if they had asked me (as if) I would have just told him to use B.C.E., rejoice and remember that for him it stands for "Before Christ Emmanuel." Works for me.