This last weekend I had a campout with some of the guys from our youth group. It really opened up my to how much camping has changed since I was a youth. When I was younger I was in Boy Scouts. With the turmoil surrounding the Boy Scouts and the decisions they have made, I really worry about this generation of students. I learned some of the greatest life skills while I was in Boy Scouts. I picked up skills like teamwork, encouragement, trustworthiness, hard-work, and survival skills.The other times I went camping when I was younger was with my family. Statistics show that fewer boys have a father figure in their life today than in the past. Without a dad to take them camping and teach them these life skills, no wonder many teens today are struggling with identity as well as apathy.
I learned this weekend that camping has changed. Instead of having flashlights most of the light came from cell phones. To me camping means leaving technology behind. Camping to me is primitive and manly. There is something masculine about setting up your own tent, chopping wood for a fire, building a fire, and making your own entertainment. Camping to me also builds togetherness. But I saw this weekend students doing their own things. Some hung out in tents and talked and listened to music (on a cell phone!) others took a shovel and dug a random hole. When I was growing up just sitting around the fire enjoying the company of each other was enough. I also learned this weekend that storytelling is a lost art. When I asked if anyone had a story (scary or not) one of the first responses was I can look one up. Technology has taken away the need for an imagination.
Anybody that is around teenagers on a regular basis can tell you that this generation is way different than any that has come before. I don't like to point blame but I wonder who's fault it is? My grandpa will continue to work hard up until the day he dies. Not because he has to, but because it is in his blood. He does not just work, he works outside with his hands. He passed that same work ethic down to my parents. And my parents have instilled that in me. But my work ethnic is nothing compared to my grandpa's. Over the years it has become more and more diluted. I have learned that hard work is a skill that has to be nurtured and developed. I couldn't imagine if my parents had never taught me the value of hard work. Outside of our parents there is no one really teaching this important lesson to this generation of students.
At school we are taught to sit, listen, be quiet, and learn. As I look back at high school I realize I probably will not ever use 75 percent of what I learned. But we are taught if we can pass the test and make the grade that is enough. In church we are taught what we should and should not be doing to live a good, Christ-like life. Last time I checked working hard your entire life is not one of the principles preached in church. Then as we grow up and get a job we work only because we have to. Most people go to work just to get paid. I really wonder if money was not an issue, how many people would quit their job and completely stop working?
The world is changing, and frankly it scares me. This generation of students are developing a sense of entitlement. They are having more and more stuff handed to them. Parents are more concerned with just making their students happy, rather than teaching. The best example of this is the participation trophy. As someone who grew up playing sports, I have a room full of trophies. I am proud of my accomplishments knowing that I achieved something special. Hardly any of them are participation trophies, because to me those are pointless. The fact that I earned them makes them more important to me. The idea behind participation trophy is so that Johnny does not get upset that Billy got a trophy (that he earned) and Johnny didn't. But instead the opposite has become a result, Billy is upset that he earned his and Johnny didn't. So what happens next year? Billy knows he will get one even if he doesn't earn it, so he stops trying. To me this is hurting the sense of accomplishment of youth today.
This reminds me of a teacher once, that wanted to try a new way of assigning grades in a class. Instead of giving each individual student a grade she decided to give the entire class one grade. She would take the average of entire class and give it to every student. In her small class she had a couple of students that were absolutely brilliant and made an A on all of their assignments. She also had a couple that did not really care and usually made a D or F on assignments. Most of the class were average B and C students. So after the first test the class average was 85. The A students helped bring up the F students and the teacher was pretty happy with her system, but then it all went south. The next test rolled around and the students that were trying and studying hard decided that they were not going to work their butt off to only get a 85, so they only did B level work. Those who were doing C and D level work decided they didn't have to work as hard either because the A students would pick up the slack. So after the next test the class average slipped to a 70. The teacher thought it may be a fluke so decided to retest. And all the student decided to study even less and let someone else pick up their slack. By the end of the year the entire class was failing.
This generation of students are just like that class. Someone is constantly picking up their slack and in the long run it is not going to help them. Parents today are also like this class. Parents today are constantly waiting for someone else to teach their children. So my plea today is if you are a parent please take your students camping. I don't just mean literally, I mean make an impact in their life. Stop thinking someone else is going to teach your children. You should be the one who teaches them the life skills like hard work. If you are a grandparent show your kids the importance of hard work. Instead of just spoiling them with gifts and presents, give them the gift that will continue to give the rest of their life. Give them the ultimate gift of hard work.
Let's change the mindset of this generation so that their kids will not be worse off.
This is a brilliant post. Thank you for writing it in a loving, but direct manner.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Please pass it along!
DeleteGreat Post Tyler. My mom and dad both grew up during the Great Depression. They were always happy with what they had and to be happy they did not need much. My dad worked hard at this job, then would work hard at home around the house and in they yard. They he would work hard helping a neighbor. I was probably barely out of Kindergarten when had me on the roof cleaning out gutters and up on a ladder helping paint our neighbors house. The absent fathers has taken a large toll on our society and I suspect the youth of today will learn some hard lessons when they are older.
ReplyDeleteThanks you, and thanks for your personal insights!
DeleteI can understand both sides of the "participation" ribbons, and concept of grading the class as a whole. The concepts are good and sound. Putting it in a Christian line of sight - the concepts are intended to show that each person is important and even the smallest bit of participation (if that is all the person is capable of) is worthy of recognition. And it is intended to teach teamwork and how we should all work - we should be trying to lift up those who may be weaker than we are.
ReplyDeleteI think part of the problem comes in that we put too much emphasis on pride when our children are growing up, that when these situations come up - the person who is "better" than the rest lets his own pride make him feel like that other person doesn't deserve the ribbon. That, and I don't think the people pushing these concepts really understand what the intent is, and therefore the ideas just don't work.
That said, good article. And, I do agree that as parents, we need to take our kids camping, or do something with them... unplug them from technology for a while and actually teach them. We need to stop pushing our responsibilities off on everyone else.
Brandi, thank you for your feedback! Those are some great points I did not even consider. After thinking about it more I think the motivation behind participation awards is what matters. Done the right way you can show that participation, even the smallest amount, is important; and we can reward them for doing their best. But in my experiences the motivation is opposite. We are too worried about someone's feelings getting hurt that we baby them. There is a fine line between the two, but the overall point is that we need to be preparing students for the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we're turning a good concept into the wrong lesson. That's what I meant the fact that the people in charge of pushing these concepts, don't really grasp the purpose behind them. All children (and people in general) need to feel appreciated and that their participation matters. No one should feel like they are not good enough. But, no one should be taught they don't have to try, either.
DeleteBut, if you think about it.... You're faithful to your wife; you don't steal; you teach people about God, you attend church and pray and read the Bible. I can go cheat on my husband, steal from my neighbor, sometimes go to church, or pray, and well, I own a Bible.... But we're both getting to heaven. I get a participation ribbon, too!
(note... I do believe anyone who actually teaches this isn't promoting the right lesson either. They aren't preparing people.)
Tyler I am naturally suspicious of "Our youth are getting worse..." Because you can find quotes as far back as the Romans all through time complaining that "the youth of today are terrible."
ReplyDeleteThings like complaining about storytelling because no one at a campfire can tell a story and yet you look on Youtube and blog sites and millions of young people are sharing stories. Isn't it possible that they were just shy to stand up?
Also anecdotal evidence about an unnamed teacher in a one off situation definitely does not remove the idea of peer teaching (although a peer exam is a bit stupid). I don't know if you had to do any project work at university but I did and in almost every group there was one person who never turned up to a meeting or did any work. So the other students usually reported this student and they got no grade. Yes in some situations a student could perform better on their own in a test than a group project but face it, how often do you never have to interact with anyone in a project in businesses? Isn't that unfair! Your department at work might only do average work because larry didn't pull his work. (and the ability to collaborate in a task is an important skill that teenagers NEED to be taught)
[Honestly, I wonder if the entitlement culture is more due to the mass affluence in the west, the high supply of desirables, the mass media messages of "you need this luxury item" and the large numbers of kids who have never had to go without.]
That's not to say that this new generation don't face a whole load of new risks and there are big problems they will have to face but the same can be said of those who grew up during the great depression, or those who grew up during the world wars, or a hundred other points in History.