Kids Today

The Stoa has been a busy place to be this day.

Several articles hit the Internet today about education, teachers, unions, culture, and general popular culture. After scratching my head for a bit, I consulted with one of my students; the ever front and center daughter of mine. I watched a round table symposium, with my daughter about teachers' unions, political activism, and, last of all, the quality of student education.

By a fair majority, the teachers felt that they had no voice in the curriculum, nor did they have any voice in making lasting improvements. Several felt that there was massive waste in the system, such as redoing the curriculum every other year when some other bozo comes up with a new idea in indoctrination.

What caught my attention was a teacher that said that the students are not coming ready to learn, frequently they are deficient in what they should already know at that grade level, and the parents are very uninvolved. Much of what I heard struck several chords with me. Connections were made and cross-checked with my children and I am confident that I can speak with some authority on the youth culture of today.

I've spoke about education in previous generations before, so I'll skip over some of that and only reference it if it becomes relevant.

Kids today appear to be coddled, smothered (helicopter children), entitled, and cheered even when they fail. Listing to my son play online with other kids his age, I hear a torrent of swearing and foul behavior, barely better than an animal. Worse yet, when I hear a parent tell their kid to get off the XBOX or PC, the child howls with indignation, swears, and tries to dominate the conversation. What causes this? How does this behavior come about?

Children are not allowed to fail. Schools pass on kids that can not read, get medals and trophies for just showing up. Parents, because of the Reagan economic expansion, really did not remember or know what it meant to live through tough times, bought anything and everything their children asked for. Easy credit and an expanding economy created the illusion that life would always be good.

My generation (the X'ers) have been creating, in unknown proportions, both Heroes and Brats. Those children raised by X'ers who had to be self reliant have taught their children that same skill. My daughter knows how to work hard for what she has. She is inquisitive and persistent. My son can be a slacker, oh, yes, but I'm confident that he will grow into a fine young man. It is just at age 11 he acting like a typical 11 year old boy. Shocker. There are many among this generation (the Millennial generation) that have risen to the challenge of the war on terror. They embody the best qualities of this nation.

Those being raised by the well off and pampered of my generation have raised a bunch of victims. There will always be a need for ditch diggers and buddy to we have a lot of them with this crop. Well dressed, vacations every year, a car when they are 16 and then...what? What kind of work do they get into? What do they expect from life?

As an Administrator in healthcare, I have seen the first wave of these kids wonder why they can not get the corner office in 6 months, why they can not make 6 figures in the first 6 months, and why they have to work so hard. As business leaders we have tailor new ways of motivating them, and getting the best out of them. What I have noticed most is a lack of critical thinking skills. They follow instructions by rote and manual. In my line of work, a radiation technique or an ultrasonic probe position is as much art and skill as it is theory. When a crisis hits, they stand there with their mouths open and not knowing what to do. There has always been someone there who will "take care" of things when they go bad. Poor initiative and problem solving skills.

Children show no respect to teachers (which can not help their education) or each other. They are wired and digital (which is a good thing these days), but detached an lacking in interpersonal skills. They lack the empathy that goes along with face to face conversations. They lack the ability to see harm happen to anyone other than themselves. They tend to be politically active, if steered that way by others. Liberals are finding fertile ground with these kids who have no direction and no boundaries. Children need structure and discipline. They need to be taught and they need to learn basic skills.

Schools need to get out of the social activism role and back into teaching Civics and Rhetoric. Nearly half of kids under 20 had to Google "Osama bin Laden" because they had no idea who he was. Likewise, More than half of those kids felt that Global Warming was caused by human activity. Right....

I will do what I can to raise children who can think and act for themselves. Children that are not afraid to question authority and stand out in a group. I'm glad to see that the leadership gene has been passed at least to my daughter. Question without fear and stand up to people who are shoveling propaganda at you. My children will not need to be "organized" like sheep. Community Organizing...yes, it is like herding the sheep that Liberals have spend decades creating. I can do little to help those I do not come in contact with, but I will make sure that my children dominate in any career path they choose.

My desire is that my children will become kernels of logic and sanity in a world gone stupid. They will rise to the top simply because the others are mush. I can live with that. They will lead, teach, and shape those around them. They will touch countless lives during their tenure on Earth and I can only hope that they will rise above the daily irritations and keep focused on bettering themselves and those around them. I wish that they will exceed me in everything that I have done. I wish that they will do more, earn more, and be more than I ever was.

What more can a proud father want?

Live well.

--Zavost