By Adrienne Sheares
What didn’t Mr. George Feeny teach us ‘90s kids? Every Friday I religiously tuned into Boy Meets World and learned some great life lessons from the greatest fictional character.
Remember These Classic Feeny-isms?
Lesson #1:
Nothing Is Impossible: Who could forget the episode where Shawn’s homework assignment was to secure Super Bowl tickets (a few days before the big event) or Mr. Feeny would fail him? After stumbling a few times and briefly giving up, guess what? At the end of the episode, Shawn held up a sign at the Super Bowl saying, “Nothing Is Impossible Mr. Feeny!” Mr. Feeny wanted to teach Shawn if you allow yourself, you can do anything.
Lesson #2:
You Can Change The World– “See it’s not enough to leave school and just desire to succeed in the cold, cruel world. Because then you’ve simply become a part of it.” – Mr. George Feeny.
Everyone in the Boy Meets World gang had his or her own unique personal strengths. Whether it was book smarts, street smarts, or a good heart, Mr. Feeny made sure to tell all his mentees to “Do Good” and he did not put more value on one person’s strength over another. He brought the best out of this quirky cast so they could change the world not merely exist in it.
I could go on for days but I digress…
If you’re anything like me, a ‘90s nerd, you’re dying to get a glimpse of Disney’s new show featuring Cory and Topanga’s daughter, Girl Meets World . Aside from seeing where our beloved characters ended up in the “Real World,” I wonder what life lessons new viewers in the 21st century will learn from Mr. Feeny or a Feeny-like character.
Here are some 2.0 George Feeny-isms, Young Invincibles would like to see on the show, given today’s fiscal fights in Washington.
Girl Meets World Feeny-ism #1
Anyone who wants to learn should be empowered to do so. Clearly Mr. Feeny was a huge fan of education. So much so, he was Cory’s teacher every year of his life. Unfortunately the skyrocketing cost of higher education in this country is making it harder and harder for people to go.
So what’s happened lately? There was some good news when Congress extended the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which helps over 8 million students and their families cover the cost of higher education. We can all agree that Mr. Feeny would have frowned upon education being an unaffordable luxury.
Girl Meets World Feeny-ism #2
Today’s young people are our country’s future. Investing in our youth is integral to a thriving economy in the future. Although our representatives took some steps in this first round of the fiscal cliff deal, we’re not out of the woods yet.
If Congress doesn’t come to some decisions about sequestration in a few months, the consequences could be devastating for young Americans. Important education and job training investments vital to our future would be cut. Washington already cut $1 billion from job training for disadvantaged youth over the past decade. Currently, underfunded training programs reach fewer than 5 percent of the 6.7 million disconnected youth. Instead of treating our future like an afterthought, Mr. Feeny would advocate that we treat it like a priority.
What are some other Feeny-isms you’d like to add?
Overlook the fact that Boy Meets World was a little sappy and at times unrealistic (did you peep that only 9 students were ever in a public school classroom?). Mr. Feeny was teaching the Boy Meets World gang and viewers life lessons for 7 years – life lessons that these YI-ers took to heart.