The Apathy of Newer Generations
In all sense of appearance, today’s generation of school children have a higher sense of apathy than in previous generations. Their complete lack of caring as to what they believe applies to them is in many ways sad. Talking to several teachers who have been teaching for years now, all of them say the same thing; that today’s kids just don’t get it. They have this idea of entitlement that makes them think they are owed everything and that they don’t have to work for anything. Perhaps part of the problem is the system itself, where we push students through the lower elementary grades because it is widely held that their social development is more important than their academic development. At the same time though, children are learning that they don’t have any direct consequences to their actions. They can coast through life and not have to worry, because the system is set up to take care of them. This is a scary thought. What happens when they enter into the work world, and suddenly discover that they have to work, have to put effort into something? Will they step up and be able to perform? Will they even have the necessary skills to do that? Or instead will they rely on other systems that will allow them to coast through life, like unemployment, welfare and unions (Not all bad, and in many cases needed, but at the same time can be exploited). It is possible we could see a huge exploitation of such systems in the future by people who are just down right lazy. Yes, the “L” word, the word that we are told as teachers we are never allowed to use toward a student. They are not lazy we are told, they just need proper stimulation, it’s the teachers fault not theirs. It is difficult to perceive how these so called experts in the field of child development and educational psychology come up with their theories. It can’t be through actually spending countless years inside a classroom doing careful observation.
With all that being said, it is true that the current educational system is out of date. This is an opinion, but I believe it to be an accurate one. With the onset of technology, children’s attention spans have decreased greatly over time. The methods employed within a class room tend to be slower and more static. There does have to be a more up to date adaptation of faster paced teaching to help grab and hold children’s attention.
At the same time though, children have to start to be held responsible again. Their sense of entitlement needs to be quashed, so they can awaken to reality. They are going to have to put in the time and work to get somewhere in life. There are no jobs out there ready to be handed to them like they seem to think they deserve. I fear for the future, and perhaps most generations have felt this way toward the youth, but I don’t know, for some reason I think it’s different this time. No matter who I speak to, everyone in the profession says one thing over and over again “I don’t remember kids being like this ten years ago.”
Like this:
~ by Jason on January 28, 2009.
Posted in Education, Society, Uncategorized
Tags: Apathy, Children, Education, Social Development, Society
I’m glad that you are writing about this topic. In my opinion, the parents have abandoned their children in a sense of morally guiding their kids. I’m a parent as well and the hardest part as my children gets older is steering them away from negative influences. My 11-year-old boy is having a hard time in school socially. The children, as 6th graders, are into dating and actually going out unchaperroaned, parents arranging hot-tubs parties and limo rides. (I live in a middle class neighborhood so this is not a matter of affluence) It’s the eternally cool factor that parents’ give to their children hence leads to entitlement. I would write more but I don’t want to take up room. Thanks for raising this concern. Our country needs leaders. I don’t feel confident on how we can compete while the rest of the world catches up to us; when the kids, all they can show for is their status on myspace that says “______ is cool. Just got back from a limo ride.” Where is the value in that?
You are absolutely right, a large part of the problem that I didn’t mention is parents. I read an interesting Article that basically proposed that previous generations faced extreme rules and strictness, and as a result the newer parents of this generation have back lashed against that and gone the completely opposite direction to be extremely lax in their rules and strictness. As a result they attempt to be their kids friends, and worry about being cool, rather than being a true parent and raising their children properly. Too many people from my generation and the generations just below me don’t want to group up, don’t want to act like adults, and then they go and have children, and don’t recognize the responsibility they have taken on.
Jason — Rather tired and therefore can’t turn my thoughts into anything remotely comprehensible, but I agree with so much of what you have said here.
Glad to see another post.