When Mark Bauerlein was discussing his findings from the book "The Dumbest Generation" I couldn't help but want to shout at the screen, because times have changed so much from 1982! I am not sure that he has taken this in to account when he was discussing his research. For instance he stated that in 1982, 18-24 year olds were the most active reading groups. He stated that in 2002, this age group was the least likely to read. Is this decline due to the fast paced society in which we live in? Is it due to the pressure that was placed on this age group to read books for points rather than pleasure? Did we as teachers fail to take the time to teach them to love to read? I know that jobs these days are more demanding than they were in the 1980's. I don't remember my parents bringing their work home, but professionals are often expected to bring work home to stay on top of things and be readily assessable if needed. There is no doubt that we have lost a lot values from one decade to another, but does that me millenials dumber? No, it makes them smarter. Marrying in to a family of farmers, I have heard this statement several times...."Work Smarter, Not Harder!" I believe the millenials are going to use all the things that have been developed to their advantage.
I like the saying "Work smarter, Not harder." In my blog, I questioned the ability of still being able to achieve the American Dream in today's society. I think that, with this saying in mind, it can be achieved. Times have changed. Something that may have been highly effective 20 years ago can now be obsolete. In order to achieve the American Dream today, I think one must take full advantage of the resources in today's society. With that said though, that also means that students need access and have the ability to use today's tools.
ReplyDeleteI agree. "Work smarter, not harder". That's a great quote to live by. I am was born in 1983 but I don't feel like I'm dumber because of it. I think each generation builds on the one before to become stronger as each year passes. We learn and discover something new all the time. Times are changing and so are we. If we don't change with the times, we will be left in the past. The past is what makes us who we are today.
ReplyDeleteTina, I completely agree with you and the others! I do believe the times have changed dramatically, but i don't think it is for the worst. Students have so many more advantages today than in the past, but also more responsibility to use those advantages appropriately. If the millenials use today's tools and resources to their advantage, there is no end to the positive changes that can be made in the world. I hope they realize how much power is intrusted in them, and use this power to the best of their ability.
ReplyDeleteI love the quote "work smarter, not harder." My husband tells me about a story where his mom told him that same thing and he has always tried to make that work. Why not use the advancements we have made to our advantage?
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a really good point about how jobs are becoming increasingly demanding, which doesn't allow for much leisure time. I also think it is unfair to compare the younger and older generations, because the circumstances in which they were raised are entirely different. The only way our society can continue to advance is for each generation to build upon what the previous generation did and find ways to improve things. So we must readily accept change if we want things like standard of living and education to continue improving.
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