Saturday, March 17, 2007
High School Students Are Both Inspiring And Depressing
I have freshman cafeteria duty, which stinks, literally and figuratively. Every once in a while, a student group will canvass the tables, begging money for some cause or other. Usually it is for Spirit Week or Project Graduation, but this week it was for Darfur.
It was great to see the two upperclassmen aproach tables of stunned or sullen freshmen, and ardently explain the direness of the situation. They handed out flyers and asked for contributions. I think they got a few, and left their flyers behind.
Then the freshmen did the following with the Darfur flyers:
Folded them into paper airplanes and threw them across the cafeteria
Played the 'slide something across the table and get it as close to the edge as possible' game
Tore them into little pieces, rolled the pieces into little balls, and flicked them at each other
¶ 1:45 PM 
It was great to see the two upperclassmen aproach tables of stunned or sullen freshmen, and ardently explain the direness of the situation. They handed out flyers and asked for contributions. I think they got a few, and left their flyers behind.
Then the freshmen did the following with the Darfur flyers:
Folded them into paper airplanes and threw them across the cafeteria
Played the 'slide something across the table and get it as close to the edge as possible' game
Tore them into little pieces, rolled the pieces into little balls, and flicked them at each other
¶ 1:45 PM
Comments:
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Dale's got a point, although I think apathetic high school students are far more callous in their apathy than the average American adult.
They are far more callous in their EVERTHING than adults, unless of course, it is directly related to them, in which case it is the biggest tragedy in the world
I think it must be some kind of survival response for teens to be that indifferent. Think about it--how overwhelming would it be as a 14 or 15 year old to be fully aware of how unfair and tragic life can be? They have the rest of their lives to worry about the rest of the world, it'll catch up with them soon enough.
I think teachers should be given a raise not for teaching leaders of tomorrow or bettering society, but just for putting up with crap like that. Plus, high school cafeterias are smelly.
Dale: I think you are too hard on yourself. Of course, no one can think about these things all the time.
It's like Bubs says, but for all of us: We'd go insane and then how useful would we be?
Megan: Maybe it just seems more callous because they SHOULD be so much more optimistic and full of potential, because of their age?
Lulu: I think there is a callousness even to their dramatics, because it IS so self-centered.
Bubs: Yup, see above...
GM: You need to become a lobbyist!
CP: I am completely lost. Is this a non-sequitur or pointed political commentary?
It's like Bubs says, but for all of us: We'd go insane and then how useful would we be?
Megan: Maybe it just seems more callous because they SHOULD be so much more optimistic and full of potential, because of their age?
Lulu: I think there is a callousness even to their dramatics, because it IS so self-centered.
Bubs: Yup, see above...
GM: You need to become a lobbyist!
CP: I am completely lost. Is this a non-sequitur or pointed political commentary?
I left a comment yesterday but it's not here - checking to see if you have one of those blogs that makes you approve them, or if I just f'd it up.
Ok, I guess I just f'd it up. What I tried to say yesterday was I have no idea what I meant by the comment above. According to the time stamp, it was 3:24 am which means I was probably both having insomnia and delirious. I sure I meant it to be funny. Maybe I was insinuating that your students were mostly Catholic and learned their bad habits from nuns. Who knows. Let's pretend it was really funny and laugh out loud - ready? GO!
OK, thanks.
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OK, thanks.
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