Softer Generation Article....

Unrelated to the article, but I never really understood the elimination of PE in schools. That just seems counter-intuitive to adolescent development/cognition training. Kids aren't naturally going to sit still in a desk or classroom and absorb information like a graduate course lecture.



However, not to derail your intent (which is certainly valid), I don't believe the article's content is a real barometer for a healthy society. Judging a generation's worth solely on how well they can become automaton soldiers would appear to be counter-productive.

And thats a bad thing?

This is something we ought to keep in mind when coaching football. Kids seem to respond better to appealling to their intellect (pattern recognition skills) rather than physically beating them into the ground.

It is good that the future generation will be more independent and free-thinking. It is BAD when we coddle folks with attention. I'm all for letting kids find their own answers, but I'm also for letting them learn the lesson of STFU (you're not special and don't need to be validated)

The article could be a good jump off point towards the true scope of how the military should be utilized (this isn't 1943 anymore).
( www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/22/the_new_rules_of_war )



** good luck, though, I'm sure this thread will be locked shortly

In all fairness, the article actually has nothing to do with the education system, though the OP is attempting to draw the conclusion of cause-and-effect. I'm sure it may influence, but probably is not that big of a deal.


What are you incentivizing in the classroom?

I wouldn't anticipate incentivizing rote memorization for regurgitation leads to anything but vegetation.
Today's classroom doesn't lead one to free-thinking or independence....its all about test scores and repeating the answers.

Has anyone ever noticed the trend in these types of discussions, though?

"Kids are soft and weak"
"Its because we can't do _______ in the classroom. The education system needs to be able to __________"
"why aren't kids learning? They are really dumb"
"its the evil parents fault!"

The minute there is teacher accountability intimated, it immediately becomes a 'parents-fault' retort.

I agree with the latter point in particular and it is an unfortunate, unintended consequence of the "accountability" movement.

One anecdotal example. Few years ago I was teaching College Prep American Lit (11th grade). At the end of class one day I posed a question that was an outgrowth of what we had been studying, asked the class to think about it, and be ready to answer-discuss it following day.

Next day at beginning of hour when I posed the question - no response. Not a single hand raised.

I restated the question in a way that practically gave the answer within it. Still nothing (and yes, I know I could have called on a student or two but I wasn't going to let them off that easy).

Finally a girl who thought she was actually living out the movie "Clueless" with two of her gal pals, raised her hand and said, "Why don't you just give us the answer?"

While you are correct that many educators do play the blame game, the truth is that the problem is systemic. Teachers are expected to teach to the standards, which are implemented by the state dept. of education, so no child will be left behind on the standardized test mandated by the state. Many (perhaps most) teachers feel pressure because of the testing, so they teach to the test in an effort to survive.

I don't have the answer for how to fix what ails public education. We have dumbed down the curriculum over the course of many years, yet many students still don't succeed because they simply are not motivated to do so. We have changed the expectations because we bought into the idea that every student should go to college, yet not every student wants to go to college.

Our form of government in this country is a republic (at least in theory), and it requires that the masses be educated so they can make educated decisions. Thus, we can't just do what some other countries do. If it were as easy as just adopting the most successful educational practices in the world, I think we would have done that by now. In many other countries, the education system is not burdened by an attempt to educate everyone the same way.

As I stated earlier, I don't have the answers, but I am confident that NCLB is not the fix. I am all for accountability in education, but teaching to a standardized test does not create independent thinkers who will be successful in the real world.

Couldn't agree with you more. If Michelle Obama wants to eliminate childhood obesity then restoring recess and real PE would go a long way.

Phy ed is the safest job in illinois. it is mandated that PE is done every day.

I think the PE curriculum in also up for debate. it has moved to a more leisure and life time sports approach. I am 41 and I can tell you I learned how to march, do about face and other drill activities in P.E. class through out grade school. kids hated PE because it was really Physical Education. It was a workout not playing softball or hitting golf balls or bowling. I remember doing the super 16 calisthenics every day for 20 minutes.

I agree with you restoring recess and Real PE would help but Americans also need to rethink how they eat. every few people actually make meals. making a meal does not consist of taking it out of a box and warming it up.

while I realize it was a politically motivated move but Food INC was really an eye opener. Eating is one area which I will say the french and german's are superior to us. they sit down, make a meal from scratch and enjoy what they eat. they eat consciously. when I was 270(now a buck 70 with 10% body fat) i just ate. I did not think about what it was eating. if you want to lose weight you have to learn to eat consciously by savoring every bite. you do this by putting your knife and fork down between each bite. I can make a grab bag of chips last one hour. I eat one chip at a time.

our food is no longer grown it is manufactured. I am blessed because when I got married a few years ago my wife came from a family of women who could cook. now I am not saying a man should not cook but some women these days can burn water one being my sister. my sisters family is always eating from some fast food joint or boston market or culvers.

I am really surprised Mrs O has not advocated a lawsuit against those big bad pop/energy drink manufactures.

That's what I was talking about when I said we need REAL PE. I'm not against traching lifetime sports and ballroon dancing and such but a good part of a PE period should be work-up-a-sweat exercise.

Damn, I couldn't make it thru a school day nowdays.....no PE......no Recess....no Lunch....those were my best subjects, when I was a kid, lol.

From an academic PE viewpoint...the vast majority of those "out of shape, unhealthy, obese" people are people who had "real" PE as some are describing.

Phantom--your reply was not directed to my point. My point was that the "real" PE that many in this thread mention did nothing with regards to promoting lifelong fitness. In fact, many studies show that the # 1 cause of adult's aversion to fitness activities was that they hated the PE classes from their youth. Doing squat thrusts and rope climbs at 14 has shown zero correlation to being fit at 40.

Phantom, the point is that forcing exercise upon someone at 14 does not necessarily promote fitness at 40.

1.) This is why football is more important now than ever.


Sometimes, it is the ONLY place were kids are given the privilege of getting knocked on their arse and having to face the question of what to do about it.


Point blank, mentally tough people are successful and happy, and it's our jobs to give our kids the chance to develop this.


2.) With that in mind, true toughness is not physical, it's mental. For football this means that just getting waxed mindlessly does not make you a better person. For the education system, that means just getting more "old school" in PE won't fix the lack of mental toughness/lack of thought (it will just make us a few pounds lighter, but still entitled).


3.) The education system comments are interesting to read. For a teacher, it's hard to encourage real learning (not rote rehearsal) when your only maxim is to prep for the standardize test.


The problem with freedom is lack of responsibility, and the problem with micro-management is lack of initiative.


I would be an educator right now if I were given freedom in the classroom.


4.) Also, let's not let the middle agers fall in love with themselves and how "they knew what it took" stories of yester year.


And yes, that is directed to many of the coaches on this board.


It's not like you made the decision to be tough and this generation choose not to, and oh my God, how much nobler are we?


Recognize this generation and that one are products of their environments. Lifestyles became more and more sedentary, and this is the outcome.


The good news: FREE WILL always trumps environmental influences.


Your students CAN LEARN to be self-sufficient, ask questions, and build mental toughness by overcoming the obstacles/difficulties of the materials.


Not all of them want to, but the BEST teachers I had in high school got most of the class to break free from "just gimme the answer" attitude to actual learning.


And most of the time, by NOT focusing on the standardize tests, and instead focusing on pure learning, we actually did BETTER on the standardized tests.

I like that blog, but I also don't feel like I should have to be a card carrying member of the 'greatest generation' in order to be manly.