What's the matter with kids today!

I've probably titled this entry wrong because, truth be told, there isn't really much wrong with kids today that wasn't wrong "back in the day."  Kids today have more decisions to make; the world is a much more complicated place.  But they have the same motivations--desire for acceptance, need for love, lack of common sense.  In reality, kids today still need guidance, someone to help them see the consequences of their actions, someone to remind them of their good qualities as the rest of the world tries to bring them down.

However, like most adults, there are days when I just want to shout what's the matter with kids today.  At 62, I guess should expect a day or two of aggravation.  When you teach teenagers, you need patience...sometimes more than you have to give.  Today was one such day.

Teaching kids in the summer is like trying to catch a greased pig.  The classrooms are hot, the sun is shining, everyone wants to be at the beach--including me.  Thank God I teach the arts.  If I was teaching math or history or English, I'd be crazy.  At least in my classes, we can let loose and have some fun.  Even that is not enough sometimes to keep the kids focused and learning.  Sometimes you have to just keep order.  I hate being a disciplinarian.  I prefer being a leader to my students, but in summer I am more the former than the later.

My only consolation is that summer always passes.  Fall comes on and the kids begin to settle in to more normal behavior when their "summer-funning" friends have to return to their classrooms.

Yeah, folks it's August.  The dog days of summer and, like my students, I'm tired of school and wanting to play.  What's wrong with kids today?  Same thing that's wrong with me.  Summer ennui.