I was looking out my classroom window at the end of the day, watching the stream of students and their families pass by on their way home from school when one of my current students joined me. She was there to make up a test, but like me, she was temporarily captivated by the people outside.
Our attention was drawn to a student and a man who I knew to be his parent. The boy was agitated and the man quickened his pace and stepped in front of him several times in an attempt to slow him down. At last, they stopped right in front of us, and it was clear that there was some conflict between them.
"Should I record this with my phone?" my student asked in all sincerity.
"No!" I answered.
Outside, the two came to some uneasy agreement and hugged briefly.
"Awwww," said my student. "That was one of the most touching things I have ever seen. I wish I had it recorded!"
"But that would be an invasion of their privacy," I pointed out.
"True," she shrugged, "but they are right there in front of everyone."
She was right, of course. In public, we should have no expectation of privacy. Even so, our conversation stuck with me long after she was gone. Recording people, especially strangers, without their consent never occurs to me, but it was this youngster's first thought.
Of course, it's generational, but it's also a huge paradigm shift.
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