Would you like some cheese with that whine?

I clearly remember saying these exact words to my mother, whether it was because I had to do the dishes or clean my room, the whine from my voice made it clear that I really didn’t want to do that specific chore. I’m not a mother myself (yet) but these are the words I hear from my students. When it’s time for book clubs, I hear…”I don’t want to do it,” surprisingly, I also hear these words at math time. In response I ask, ” I’m sorry, did I hear that correctly, did you just say you don’t want to? Too BAD!” I know, I’m so caring and compassionate…can you hear the sarcasm dripping from my words?

Eeons ago, I mean many years ago, when I was an elementary student I would never have dared respond to my teacher this way, that would have been impolite and rude and just plain bad manners. Yet today there is a new era of youngsters who apparently think they are in charge. When did this happen? Was I napping during this revolt? What does this mean for our future? Will our youth not want to care for the elderly because they just don’t want to? Will they use these same 5 words in response to an assignment their boss has given them? Perhaps I’m being too judgmental; predicting what characteristics these youngsters will retain into adulthood. Maybe they’ll grow out of their lazy rudeness. Or maybe they really don’t like math or reading. So instead of a generation of rude individuals who could care less about their elders or their jobs, we’ll be *blessed* with a generation of ignorant ones instead.

Yes, I know, every current generation thinks the up and coming  generation is a pile of nimcompoops! Yet over my 8 years of teaching, I’ve definitely seen a change in student’s attitudes towards directions given by adults. They either can’t follow a direction at all, they remain off task continuing to draw their dinosaur instead of reading their book, or they whine “I don’t want to.” So here is my plan to change the future (I have that power as a teacher.)

• Continue to be a hard a** and demand a good work ethic.
• Use positive reinforcements to motivate the lazy ones.
• Continue to complement the ones that work and do their best, even without the brides reinforcements. (Making a huge deal about those students seems to whip the others into shape.)
• Constantly remind the students about their manners. Good manners gives a good first impression, which is what people remember most.
• Never give up on them…..somedays they surprise me.

Have you noticed changes in the younger population? Are you currently a parent who is working hard to mold those little buggers into shape? What experiences do you have with generational attitudes?