01/12/2001

Have Kids Changed?

Recently I received the following email message:

"There is a very serious problem in education that no amount of money can address. I teach at the university level, but I also hold various secondary certifications in Connecticut. Why, you might wonder, am I not seeking employment as a high school teacher instead of working as an adjunct faculty member in higher education?

"The answer is simple. High school has become no more than a social event for students. The majority of them are not interested in learning, doing even a minimal amount of homework or enhancing their knowledge base. Instead, they come to school poorly prepared, in outlandish clothing they regard as essential for self-expression and self-esteem, and do nothing but pass the time mindlessly wandering through the school day. Their parents lie, cheat and defend these students, and when students fail, these same parents are quick to place the blame squarely on the teachers. Discipline, responsibility, motivation, hard work, attention to detail and willingness to succeed have all become dirty words in education today.

"I have no desire to teach on the secondary level. Accountability is more than salaries, training, time spent at work or benefits. Accountability in education is quickly becoming an elusive dream, and we have no one to blame but parents and students who are willing to settle for less than mediocre, under the guise of enhancing self-esteem for themselves and their children."

I wrote back to this person and asked whether he or she had taught in high schools and, if so, whether the schools were in urban or suburban districts. In addition, I asked for comments about whether students in both settings demonstrated similar patterns of motivation and effort.

Here is the reply: "I have taught in both urban and suburban settings, and the attitude among teens has been quite similar in either setting.

"When I first began teaching, I had American history (regular sections and honors), Constitutional Law, sociology and political science classes. Over time, I also instructed Italian, GED,ESL, adult education and mandated English and history courses. While there are teens who are motivated and want to learn, the teens who exhibit the negativity and hostility toward school and do not value education in general, are the ones who are holding back the hard workers.

"I began teaching in the early 1970s, and when I look at what I was accomplishing with my classes then, and what I am doing now in my course, the contrasts are unsettling and speak volumes about the poor preparation students receive in high schools.

"I have college students who read on the 6th to 8th grade levels, and their writing skills are just as weak as their reading skills. No one bothers to check vocabulary words -- that is for fools and a waste of time. Instead, students attempt to guess what the word/term means and bluff, even if the meaning is way off-base. Attitude again comes into play. Whether at the high school or college level, until students get a hard dose of reality and learn that they are ultimately responsible for their success or failure, the education system will never see any positive changes. Change has to come from within the students themselves."

There have always been students who try to take shortcuts to success. We fail those students, in my opinion, when we don't hold them accountable for completing passing work or better. Therefore, if students aren't achieving to their potential, at least part of the reason is that we aren't requiring them to (from pre-school on).

I have a far more optimistic view of students than the person quoted above. I think young people are as highly motivated to learn as they ever were, maybe even more so, because they live and compete in such a highly complex world, which demands a high degree of knowledge and skill to succeed. Many young professionals work longer hours than ever, now that the line between work time and non-work time has been blurred by telecommuting options.

During the '70s and '80s, child-centered parenting and teaching practices (in some circles) encouraged parents and teachers to befriend young people and help them feel good about themselves, often at the expense of holding them accountable and insisting on the development of internal self-discipline. I think it is possible to hold students to high expectations -- and befriend them -- and help them develop self-discipline.

When students learn in an environment where teachers recognize and challenge their abilities and teach them how to push through frustration to mastery of new learning tasks, the pleasure they feel and express when they succeed is palpable and contagious. Creation and maintenance of that atmosphere is most pervasive when it comes from the top - from the superintendent and the principals. But it can also come from individual teachers who define their role as catalyst for every student to make steady progress to the best of his or her ability (and then some, if possible) every day of every school year.

Another teacher I heard from recently said: "I was not the perfect child as a teen, nor do I expect it from my children or other people's children. Teen years are the time to figure things out, like who you are and who others are, and to separate the good from the bad.

"I work with middle school students - the bane of many teachers' existence - but not mine. I have found that even the students who hate me (and who have told me so) actually RESPECT me, because I respect them. How? By remembering myself when I was 13 and 14, by explaining my motives and motivations, by keeping up with their music and slang and sometimes fashions, so that we can find common ground in our discussions. I keep a good sense of humor and, above all, never show disdain for their thoughts or lives or tastes, nor do I look down on them in any way.

"The teachers who got through to me most were the teachers who took the time to treat me as an equal, who spoke to me out of class about mundane issues and who were always willing to help me either with schoolwork or just to listen. Strangely enough, some of these teachers had reputations as being the hardest to get good grades from. They were rarely the 'fun' teachers whose classes you could float through."

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.