everything that's wrong with kids these days (or: reframing children's problems)
DESCRIPTION
This is quite possibly a very vague presentation (prepared for my Sociology of Children class) without the luxurious sound of my voice accompanying it. I should work on that.TRANSCRIPT
WHAT’S WRONG WITH KIDS
THESE DAYS?
“problem children”vs.
children’s problems
OR, TO PUT ANOTHER WAY, THIS IS THE TOPIC ABOUT...
dis⋅course an⋅al⋅y⋅sis [diss-kawrs ann-all-i-sis] – noun. Examining how we understand and think about the world by deconstructing the ways in which we talk about it.
facts and fictions about today’s youth
one of the biggest challenges children face is their relative
lack of social power
kids are rude
immoral
lazy & greedy
stupid
at-risk
kids are rude
“A crying baby is the best form of birth control.” –
Carole Tabron
kids are immoral
Cheating is relatively rare in classrooms where the learning is genuinely engaging and meaningful to students and where a commitment to exploring significant ideas hasn’t been eclipsed by a single-minded emphasis on “rigor.”
– Alfie Kohn
only 30-35% of children trust celebrities
77% trust friends
86% trust parents and teachers
kids are lazy & greedy
$1,800,000
kids are stupid
things today’s kids will
never know!(!!)
kids are at-risk
why do we stereotype kids?
blaming the victim:
living in a culture of fear:
idealizing the past:
targeting kids to absolve adults:
Kids’ Real Problems:
• Child abuse and neglect• Lack of affordable quality child care• Lack of access to good nutrition• Lack of access to health care• Lack of access to quality education• An adult culture of work and
efficiency
Struggles in Addressing These:• Images of childhood as a time of
innocence• Images of children as passive victims• Adult role expectation of protecting
the weak• Lack of adult awareness of realities
of kids’ lives• Limits of child assertiveness• Limits of child empowerment
where can we benefit from
critical perspectives?
Reading for the Week:• Pages 418-470