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I was reading through this article, written by Kristen Miller, saying "Yes, Yes, YES!" because I have been so fed up with the way people today feel they are entitled to everything. According to the article, written by a teacher:
"There is something about the current generation of students in school that makes teaching extremely difficult: entitlement. The first few months of my teaching career were eye-opening in terms of this phenomenon. I had one student ask me, "Mrs. Miller, why don't we get paid to go to school? We're forced to be here, so why don't we get paid for it?" I was dumbfounded. We had a long discussion that day about this topic — instead of the discussion on rational and irrational numbers."
"Education in the United States is FREE. These kids don't know how lucky they are. Knowledge is power, but as Oprah says, kids in this country are more worried about having the latest pair of Jordan's or the newest iPod or iPhone than they are about getting a good education. In Oprah's special, Robert Martin, executive editor of "The Chicago Defender," blames parents for this phenomenon. I completely agree. I can't tell you how many students I have had who have straight F's and their parents take them on a shopping spree for $600 jeans and other outrageously expensive items of clothing. "
Oh man, spot on, I love it! It even spills into people thinking that everyone should own a home, whether they can afford it or not, or a car or even with the current health care debate! I was loving this teacher...and then it happened, she ended her article with:
"I'm not sure how to fix this problem, but fortunately we now have a president who did not take his education for granted and does not promote this astounding sense of entitlement so many Americans feel today."
Wow.
Actually, Kristen, the current president is one of the biggest advocates for this behavior AND I would argue it is him in office, or on the campaign trail that has stirred up (at least a little) this type of behavior with your students!
We can apply the old analogy to you, you just pulled your head up from the sand, noticed what is going on and then stuck it right back in the ground...In the end, your article just made me chuckle at your obliviousness.
Chris,
Love you point. How can we expect children to not think they have a "right" to get whatever they want, if we have a president bailing out auto dealers and banks, and giving you $8,500 just for buying a house. What did any of those people do to deserve that money? Make alot of poor business decisions?.
Don't worry, It ticked me off too. Something will give though where these kids will think twice.
Wow getting paid to go to high school, that's a new concept. Honestly it's kind cool that they have the courage to ask. (It doesn't they will get it)
Every gen asks for somethings different
Boomers demand equality, free speech & benefits
Gen X demand for work life balance & Flex hours
Gen Y is demanding Now and they might get it because boomers are gradually leaving the work force. By 2015, over 40% of the work force will be Gen Y; so they might get what they want.
This certainly isn't a recent problem, so it's a stretch in logic to say that the current political climate is somehow causing kids to be spoiled. I remember plenty of kids in school 15 years ago who cared more about the latest brand of clothes that they "needed" to have instead of their education.
Phalange, this post got fed into my facebook site as well where some Brazen Bloggers, who are friend's, also made the same comment.
I have to say that you are right that this is nothing NEW BUT I do feel that this president is an enabler of this type of behavior...I love this video to illustrate the feeling that the president gives people through his messaging.
I'm guessing most of the people behind this complaint about Gen Y are rabid capitalists, so why be so upset that we're "entitled" to physical goods and brands? Doesn't that fuel the machine keeping everyone fat and happy? What else is there in a capitalistic society? Family values? Those are so 1950's. Religion? I'll pass.
Yeah, give me the iPod, the great career, the smart, mutli-tasking, entitled coworkers. Give it to me now, I don't want to wait.
The arrival of Generation Y has come. Digging one's heels in the sand to fight the tide of our seemingly agreed upon culture isn't really going to do much good. The best employers and governmental thinkers are figuring out how to work WITH us, because we're such a huge demographic they won't have much choice but to work with us in a few years.
Just a thought...
I believe that Sweden pays their children to go to school, but in return the students have to pay rent on their desks and pay for the expenses associated with schooling. This results in a small ROI for the students, but something is better than nothing...
The current problem is how to motivate the student to put time into learning the material. Answer: Reward them! It's obvious that grades no longer have an impact on younger generations, so why don't we give them cash bonuses? more vacation time? material possessions? if they do well in their classes!
I'd say YOU are the one missing the point. The teacher has it right.
I'm at loss to find the logic here. I've yet to see Obama say anything that doesn't indicate he expects people to pull their own weight. I imagine there have been middle school kids asking questions of a similar nature for eons, usually to distract their teacher from the real task at hand. The economic actions Obama has taken are related to getting us out of a hole dug by our government over the last 25 years.
There is an education issue, and an entitlement issue with a certain generation, but this argument doesn't cement them together, or give evidence to support our current President is a culpable party.
I'm not saying that some people our age and younger do not feel entitled I'm only saying that I do not see the connection you are trying to make. I'm also not saying I agree with everything this pres is doing but I am not connecting the same dots you seem to be connecting.
The video, by the way did you even bother to investigate it? Reading one comment, not the tons of f---ing Ni---er comments, so popular with the you tube crowd, you'd have seen someone who saw the news report in full context say it was "Taken way out of context. She was talking about being able to find a job with a little security because she believed the economy was going to get better - she'd get a better job and be able to afford gas and food without such a struggle. Not sitting on her ass while the government fills her gas tank and pays her mortgage".
You say "I would argue it is him in office, or on the campaign trail that has stirred up (at least a little) this type of behavior with your students!"
That would be nice to see, but arguments are usually a little more cohesive and don't include out of context you tube video clips edited to their shortest form - with direct intent to mislead.
The ending crack on Obama aside (her original article was dated March 2009, so the 6 months she referenced was prior to Obama even being elected, but I digress), this boils down to how the parents raise their kids, plain and simple. The same 40-something that comes home, complaining about how they don't get what they're 'entitled' to at their job raises their kids to act and feel the same way.
It's a broad brush, however. Depending on what grade she is teaching, she's probably got teenagers who feel the world is owed to them. That's not a Gen-Y thing, that's a teenage thing.
Melinda and James both bring up interesting points. A reward system would be interesting, and could possibly motivate more kids to actually (gasp) care about school.
I agree with JR about the entitled generation's consumption patterns. Their spending is of course fueling to machine. When our economy (and society, for that matter) is so heavily dependent on consumption, who will really take issue with a demographic that embraces constant spending?
There is no emphasis on education or learning for most folks. It usually breaks down like this:
get good grades -> get into a good college -> get a good job -> make money
Let's also not forget that most kids are taught from an early age (directly or indirectly) that money is the most important thing there is, the end-all to happiness and the source of all things American. So it's only proper that these kids want to get as much as possible, so for them being in school is 'in the way' of that goal.
My brother and I got paid for our grades. Not much--just enough that if we came home with As and Bs, we got a little something extra. But that didn't take away from the fact that our parents' emphasis was on learning. To be honest, I usually forgot about the money until I was on the way home with the report card.
My dad put it this way: "Going to school is your job. When I do my job, I get paid." But our parents' system was more like a bonus than a salary.
The thing is, those that I expected to comment in a debatable fashion, did comment. I also expected them to see no flaw in the reasoning, and they didn't. To that end, I am not surprised and that is exactly why I have a problem, because this is the more and more expected norm.
To sit here and say, "yea, let's keep on giving everyone a little treat for doing the tasks they are supposed to do", is exactly why you have generation y entering the workforce and expecting to bypass the corporate ladder, it is a lost understanding of respect, respect of yourself and your position in relation to your surroundings.
As far as "where are my facts to show that this president is promoting this behavior?"...Remember, it was Kristen, who wrote the article, that ended it with a mention of the president being the opposite...so my question in retaliation could only be "What evidence do you have to show that he is NOT promoting it?".
As people have pointed out, those that have failed in this country or those that are susceptible to fail are the ones being bailed out all the time...to me it is pretty clear...but there is always that hole in the sand over there that is a perfect head shape if you are willing to bend down again....
We must remember that public or even private schools arent and shouldnt be responsible for raising and or bringing up our kids. Its the PARENTS responsibility. Too often far too many parents rely on schools to teach their kids proper ethics, morals and etiquette, when these building blocks or principles should be taught at home.
Leaving a kids to freely watch cable tv and mtv is going to waste their minds. Garbage in...garbage out. parents need to step up and contribute to their kids upbringing so children are more prepared to make better choices and decisions when they get to school.
Aside from the out-of-the blue crack at the president and the most recent comment from Chris trying to engage in a circular argument (for the record, counter-arguments are usually more effective when presenting at least a little bit of evidence), I agree with much of what the original post contained.
There does seem to be a sense of entitlement that is getting worse as time progresses, even in the simple things. For my freshman year on the soccer team, it was understood that it was the job of the freshmen to round up balls, carry cones, and other tasks for the team. It was all part of putting in your time and earning your keep. When I became a senior, the freshmen refused to do anything at all,including work hard in practice. Yes this is a petty example, but it illustrates the mentality that more and more are adopting.
I put the blame, almost entirely, on parents. Parents have allowed their children to be the center of the household, center of attention, and the ability to escape responsibility. People have become too wrapped up in their children's lives, giving these students a swelled sense of importance which only adds to every adolescent and teenagers idea that the world revolves around them. It's a parent's job to ground their kids in reality, not fuel the fires of entitlement.
I know this will be difficult, but in order to fix this, a lot of parents out there are going to have to take one word of the bank vault it seems to have been collecting dust in for the past 10 to 20 years: No.
Sorry for the double comment, but I realized I neglected to say something I feel is very important.
While the example that I used was for people younger than myself (even though I am right in the thick of Gen Y being 21), I don't think that it is strictly an age thing.
If you look at much of what has caused the current economic crisis, it comes back to entitlement. Companies ran wild with their consumers trust because they felt entitled to their customers' money. CEOs of failing companies felt entitled to $100 million bonuses, despite the fact that they had to cut 10,000 jobs that year. Entitlement is the symptom of a reality deficiency. If you don't have enough reality in your diet, things that keep you grounded, entitlement is likely to rear its ugly head.
"To sit here and say, "yea, let's keep on giving everyone a little treat for doing the tasks they are supposed to do", is exactly why you have generation y entering the workforce and expecting to bypass the corporate ladder, it is a lost understanding of respect, respect of yourself and your position in relation to your surroundings."
Yes and no. For example, this doesn't apply to me. If you said that being paid for grades or going to school was representative of a larger trend, then I think you have a point you can argue.
But I don't see a problem for appropriate rewards for the work done. Skipping ahead without demonstrating the ability is a different issue.
Parents have been paying kids for grades for years and it should be the parents job to provide an incentive to keep kids doing well in school. I'm not saying that their entitled to it but a good incentive does help. I think that easy credit it more the culprit of the "I must have NOW" syndrome but given that the economy is in the toilet and won't get better soon I think everyone's going to get a good spanking before it's over. Give them a few years and I expect that attitudes will change and they will be demanding things that actually make their lives better instead of digging them into a hole.
Here's a contrarian perspective:
Gen Y's focus on materialism has been a godsend for me. I'm in my late 20s and make a good living. Getting 9s and 10s is like shooting fish in a barrel. Almost all of them are for sale, and it takes little more than a nice dinner to get what you want.
I would say long live the short-sighted materialistic hotties, but I don't need to as thier ranks are constantly being replenished.
Don’t judge based on popularity or blind reciprocity, instead make sure they “get it” and just as importantly, that their followers “get it”. More...
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