Several conversations recently, have started, ‘Young people today…’ I’ve then heard how lazy, disrespectful, rude, uncommunicative, selfish… young people are.
Socrates once said, ‘The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age.’
He also said, ‘When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint.’
Criticism of ‘Young People Today’ is nothing new.
Yesterday I was delighted to read that following a recent inspection Pakefield High School is rated as ‘Good’ with a ‘good quality of education’, ‘good leadership and management’, ‘good behaviour and attitudes’ and ‘good personal development’.
The inspectors found ‘Young People Today’ to be well behaved and hard working.
When I was teaching, a visiting parent expressed concern that the children from a particular estate were badly behaved. I invited my visitor to come round the school and pick out these children. I knew they were well-behaved.
This week I’ve found myself singing the old Val Doonican song that describes ‘The Special Years between childhood and adulthood:
So slow up, don’t rush to grow up
You’ll be a woman before long
So stay awhile in the special years
Their magic will soon be gone
I’m not denying that young people can be troublesome, frustrating and unpredictable… but they are also kind, generous, charming, delightful and funny; special people, with special characters and talents at a special time of their lives.
In ‘The Sound of Music’ Liesl sings:
I am sixteen going on seventeen
I know that I’m naive
Fellows I meet may tell me I’m sweet
And willingly I’ll believe
Rolf replies:
You need someone older and wiser
Telling you what to do
I am seventeen going on eighteen
I’ll take care of you
‘Young People Today’ are still growing, developing, learning. I’m not seventeen going on eighteen, but I can play my part in being that someone older and wiser to take care of these special people.
malcolmsmusings.org 
I agree. Being positive and caring role models for our youth will help them develop self worth and a sense of responsibility for themselves and for others. 🙂
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I’m with you, Nancy. Our responsibility to our young people can never be over-emphasised. If we are critical it’s perhaps a reflection on ourselves
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Socrates is reading the mail of today’s disgruntled, complaining curmudgeons Malcolm. Better they recognize the positive aspects of today’s youth and heed the words of Johan Goethe that I aspired to as an educator . . . “Treat a man as he is, are he willing remain as he is. Treat him as he should be and he will become as he should be.”
Be blessed my friend.
“
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I haven’t met that quote before, Fred, But I like it. Certainly I saw it in teaching – teachers who liked the children, wanted the bext for them, and expected the best from them, obtained the best results.
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Oh, I love this post, Malcolm. Your wisdom and leadership as a teacher shines through. If only we could appreciate the strengths of all ages and learn from that to help soften our hard edges and perceptions! That snippet from Sound of Music was perfect.
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Absolutely, Wynne. There’s a lot written and said about breaking bariers and learning from people from a different race, culture, religion or gender… less about breaking age barriers and learning from people of all ages.
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