Editor’s
note: This is Part Three of a
four-part series.
Based
upon statistics provided in the previous 2 columns there is a glut of minors
who are underachieving in the classroom (or, as noted last week, totally
uncommitted to the classroom). Which of their behaviors contribute to this
underperformance? For the sake of brevity (and not making this a 10-part
series), here are just 3…
Today’s kids lack work ethic. Elbow
grease at home and in a working environment helps to develop a work ethic that
carries over into studies. Unfortunately, today’s youth are not afforded the
chance for such enrichment.
Many
of the Baby Boomer class and the generations before them had either permanent
or temporary access to farm life (regarding the latter, think of how many kids
used to spend weeks of their summers on a grandparent’s or uncle’s farm). That
exposed the impressionable youngsters to visible rewards (harvests and cattle
auctions) that were the result of sweat, hard work, planning, focus and
patience. Those days are long gone for teens for smaller family farms have been
replaced by larger, more-efficient farms. To put it into perspective, in the
1940s there were over 6.5 million farms. Now, there are just over 2 million.
But,
the pastoral experience is only one part of the labor equation. It used to be
that teens everywhere could get summer and evening jobs. At the turn of this
century, half of all 16-to-19 year-olds held a job. The Great Recession and the
resulting “new norm” put youth employment in the crosshairs. Because of the
lack of economic opportunity, cost-cutting endeavors by businesses fighting to
survive, and adults willing to take what were teens’ jobs in order to survive
as well, less than 30% of teens now hold a job.
Unfortunately,
that availability of free time does not equal better grades because work is a
lesson in itself. As the old adage says, it builds character. So, without work
(especially in the formative years), character cannot be built. And, character
is the catalyst for achievement.
Today’s families emphasize the
extra-curricular over the curricular. It used to be that kids might choose
an interest or two that took some of their free time. Now, they chose (or are
forced into) schedule-intensive sports while ballet, band, horse-riding
lessons, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and more are heaped upon that. The materialism
of modern life has driven this, making the parent feel inadequate if he/she
can’t keep up with the assumed expectations of our society. They believe they
can’t do right by their child if the child is not perpetually busy. It’s sad,
as it contributes to financial and emotional stress of parents and it robs kids
of their childhood (and the freedom and spontaneity it should have) as well as
the time that they need for books (far more important than any sport). The
exhausted kids can’t focus on schoolwork, nor do they have time to:
Approximately three-quarters of American youth participate in some structured
extracurricular activity that consumes up to 9 hours per week. 10% of them
devote more than 20 hours per week to it.
Today’s youth are destined to underachieve
thanks to electronics. Sci-fi tales of years gone by predicted a
technologically-advanced world in which the human existence would be made
better by computers and other efficiencies. We’ve come to that era with
high-speed computers, the internet, smart phones and more.
But,
rather than making our lives easier, they’ve made our lives more difficult,
since we’ve become incapable of thinking, analyzing, communicating, calculating
and even relaxing without them.
Well,
at least that’s the situation that’s befallen the young. Consider these damning
numbers: The average American child spends 7.5 hours of every day in front of
the TV or computer or engrossed with some other electronic device like a
phone. Not only are they failing to live
life or study, but numerous studies have also shown that early and constant
exposure to electronic media lead to psychological problems, attention disorders,
and cognitive issues. Some scientists have even noticed severe changes in the
way that brains function. Technology has weakened – even dramatically hurt - today’s
students.
What
is most confounding about all of this? Suppose that between extra-curricular
activities and electronics a kid devotes a total of 61.5 hours per week.
Compare that to academics: A University of Michigan study showed American
students average just under 4 hours of homework per week! Where are our
priorities?
Next
week, the series ends on a positive note as we look at some of the really
special youth who are bucking the trend, and outperforming their peers in
dramatic fashion, giving us a sense of hope for Tomorrow.
Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.
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This column originally ran in the 09 July 2012 Greater Niagara
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