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Post by carson101 on Jul 11, 2008 17:45:58 GMT -6
I think the times are changing with kids just not interested in sports anymore. Here are my observations, putting it simply because more and more stupid technology gadgets are offered to kids so they have become less interested in athletics. I also think that parents substitute gadgets as a parenting escape. Heck when I look back over the last 10 yrs kids were still looking for something or someone to pay attention to them, now we give them computers,cell phones,ipods,xbox's ect. This is just an observation, when I was a kid we either played sports or we had nothing else to do. You would find local parks full of kids, now the parks are filled with perverts,gangs,drug dealers, and occasionally you might find a family having a pic nic. Society has turned their attention away from kids so much, that they focus on economics or politics and blaming each political party for why everything is screwed up. Instead politicians cut programs, steal from schools thus cutting athletic budgets simply to fatten pocket books. What can be done vote against the crap that robs kids the opportunity to succeed. With the growing problems destroying families and kids stuck on stupid technology has become the parent. My generation has lost perspective and uses it as a way to separate themselves from the parenting role all togeher. I heard once not long ago that the average kid from a broken home has no ambition, no expectations of a future, doesn't care about politics, they just substiute everything for playing on some type of computer device since it just helps them pass the time, not to mention a vast majority of them are into drugs as a way to escape what society has become. What has become of this generation. In my era the 80's we started a coup against parenting. I am not speaking for all of us, but if we really open our eyes, we see kids wearing baggy pants, yapping yo,yo,yo's everywhere and hurray for gay rights the moral values have disappeared. I know us coaches are doing all we can to instill morals and ethlics into our kids, but the families of this era have trumped our efforts for the most part. Sorry to sound so negative but it really breaks my heart to know that we have lost so many kids for stupid reasons that could have better opportunities and options than we did when we were kids. What I am saying isn't that kids have lost interest just in football or sports in general they have just lost interest and those that do participate are the special ones because they want to be noticed.
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Post by eickst on Jul 11, 2008 17:59:33 GMT -6
When I was a kid, we would play football, baseball or basketball at the park every single day. We had nintendos but we used those on the crappy rainy/cold days when no one wanted to be outside.
I drive by the local park by my house now and it's almost always empty except for the people letting their dogs crap all over it and not cleaning it up. Maybe that's why no one plays there I dunno.
With the proliferation of computers at home (i had one but teh intarwebs sucked back then, if anyone knows how cool it was to have a 4 line bbs you'll remember what I am talking about.) and all the new gadgets kids pretty much have too much to choose from. I wouldn't say it's a disinterest in sports as much as it is their love of stuff that's "easier". I think that's where the problem lies.
Our kids today want stuff handed to them. Too much entitlement going on and most of it starts with the parents who themselves feel entitled and have no accountability for their own actions. Kid started a fight at school? It was the other kids fault, or my kid was playing GTA 4 so that must be to blame. It couldn't possibly be that they're just crappy parents and should be banned from using their reproductive organs.
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kr7263
Sophomore Member
Posts: 228
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Post by kr7263 on Jul 11, 2008 18:03:39 GMT -6
I live in a suburb and our small town park district is overflowing - they now have cutoffs for baseball, softball & soccer because they cant get enough parents to coach. They start at 4 yr old t-ball & soccer. I coached my sons 4yr old team with 20+ kids and there were 3 divisions. We live by a soccer park and I see games going on from April through Aug. Our neighbor kid is 8 and plays a 12 game pitch baseball season. Three blocks from our house is a "performance center" with 2 BB crts, batting cages & expert coaches - I talked to the owner and he begged me to work for him because he has more kids training then he has trainers. My daughter has gymnastics twice a week and that place is full every time we go in there. I had to set my summer football schedule in Feb because our high school facilities are being used by athletics from 7am -8pm Mon-Fri June-Aug. Every sport has camps, tournaments, summer league etc, etc. I have at least 5 varsity players who play varsity baseball, summer league basketball, & 7on7 games in one week. I have 5 others who are in national wrestling tournaments or volleyball travel teams. I have 2 kids that go to some kind of dirt bike races or something. Around here I wonder when do kids have time to be kids?
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Post by hustleandheart on Jul 11, 2008 19:43:19 GMT -6
I'm 21 and I agree 100% with all these posts. I consider myself a very small minority of people in high school who didn't ever try a sip of alcohol or any drug. I do think it is the parenting and that might not be easy for kids to choose. I was fortunate enough to live in a very nice suburban town where NOBODY should be acting "ghetto" because every family can afford to live here. As I was exposed to all this stuff, I found myself turning back to sports rather than drugs. When I couldn't get enough people to play basketball or toss a football, I'd go on a run. Technology has made lives for teens ALOT easier and parenting hasn't helped control teens interest either. I also think that the teenagers are to blame. Maybe they are too young to understand what is going on, maybe not; but I know if I sit in front of the TV for longer than an hour (not watching sporting event) than I feel like I lost time I can never get back. It's almost as if kids don't think that hard work pays off.... that really makes me mad. (Sorry I know I'm all over the place with my thoughts) Thats just how I feel though.
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ex-centralcoach
Junior Member
[F4:@marcmarinelli ] [F4:marcmarinelli]
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Post by ex-centralcoach on Jul 11, 2008 20:39:24 GMT -6
Here's the deal, i know where you guys are coming from. But in my corner of the world, numbers are up, and not just for us, but for lots of schools around us. Im not an over the top "its all butterflies, zebras, moonbeams and fairytales" dude, but I just think sometimes I get caught up in the negatives and dont look at the positives. If you feel like you cant save them all, then save the ones you can. If you want to complain about parents raising kids, then raise yours right. And try to help the others when you can. The great thing about being a coach is that you can, shoot how many times have you heard "Look at the kid, whats wrong with him" and then they go back to sitting on their tail. Well brother you are in a position to do something about it, got to pick and choose your battles. We have an enrollment of around 415 9 through 12 we will have 115 out for ball, why... because were still working on the other 100 boys.
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Post by biggroff on Jul 11, 2008 20:56:52 GMT -6
My son is just starting organized sports and in our town, you have to sign up months in advance for baseball, football, basketball, lacross, soccer to make sure you have a spot. Numbers are so up that they are turning kids away.
650 boys in football form age 6 to 14 in our town.....only keeping 120 on freshman and only 85 on sophomores at the local high school in our town. Wish I had that problem at the high schools I coached at.
Number is not a problem in our town
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chuff
Sophomore Member
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Post by chuff on Jul 11, 2008 21:09:36 GMT -6
Just a quick question: Those of you who are seeing growth, are you in an urban or rural area? I am in an urban area and not only is participation down, but so is ability: Our high school's baseball team was the city champion by beating the three other HS's in town and we finished 7-25.
Do you think there are more temptations/distractions for the urban kids than the rural kids?
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burn
Sophomore Member
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Post by burn on Jul 11, 2008 21:59:24 GMT -6
I coached in a rural community where about 80% of the boys played football, there were 300 students in the school. Sports was a priority to the parents and the kids. Most of the kids came from two parent house holds and many of the kids came from upper middle class farmers. I think where you live can be a big part of it. In our area the towns and cities that have rich parents have high schools that are very successful in school and sports. On the flip side I worked in another rural community that 75% of the kids were on free and reduced lunch. The average grade these parents made it through was 4th grade in Mexico. In that school, a school with about 100 more kids than the other school, about 50 kids went out for football in the two levels. Both communities the kids worked. The first community the kids worked driving tractor and back hoes for their dads. The second community the kids worked along with their families in the fields. My point is that the affluent communities can afford to prioritize athletics in the kids lives.
To the post that started this whole thread I agree with many of your points: video games, poor parenting and the decline of society. I think education is also to blame for much of this. I choose my words wisely here to try not to offend many on this site. I think in the lower levels of many low socio economic areas and many middle class areas that boys are not taught to the their strengths. One form of evidense is the lack of boys going on to college. Girls on average outnumber boys in college 1.5 to 1 and less numbers of boys are finishing college than in past decades. A drastic change from 20 years ago. I believe it goes back to how we teach boys in school. Many are disciplined and tagged as ADD when they are just being boys. Boys 30 years ago got into a fight in school, a natural part of being a boy, and they are disciplined by a call to their parents. Boys in a fight these days are sent home for a number of days. Teachers at the lower levels are mainly women that have a hard time understanding the needs of boys and can not control them. Not all but some. I believe boys are now turned off by the education process because to succeed you need to share and all of the touchy feely teaching techniques pushed to these teachers to raise test scores. Before girls were wrongly labeled that they were not good at certain subjects and now boys are being labeled as ADD and ADHD or just a pain in the butt. A higher percentage of boys become disenfranchised with education and give up or shut down. I agree with the lack of fathers in the home and now all mothers are working but education was always a standard where being a boy regardless of home life they had a chance to succeed. I think it has now become harder for boys. I have two girls and a boy. There is a huge difference in their development. The girls are much more mature and much more into crafts, communication and sharing. The boy is into tackling, breaking things and jumping off of stuff. Will he do well in a classroom? No way. Many of us can probably remember our schooling and how recess and PE were our favorite times of the day. The test scores in many states dictate how kids are taught and they have to substitute PE time and recess time for shadow classes to keep up with the other kids. How do you think that affects these boys enjoyment of school let alone their self-esteem. Percentage wise the kids in these classes are largely boys and they not only are deemed behind but are also tagged as behavior problems. Look into special education. The largely hispanic school I worked at had 400 kids in the 6-8 middle school and 65 kids were in special education, a huge percentage. Of those 65 kids 42 were boys. Why? One because they were too hard to handle for teachers in the classroom and the teachers could not be the problem so the kids are tested and most were found to be ADD so they would be pulled out of regular classes for parts of their day. Too many boys and girls were identified than need be. I won't get into special ed because that is another subject. Special ed is a wonderful program for those kids that truly need it. Not for those kids that are hard to handle. My point is that education is dropping the ball with the males in our society. Parents are the main problem but lets try to make the difference where we as educators can. These boys that are not succeeding in school are also the fathers of the next generation. Scary. Look into the prison population, mostly men. How many dropped out of high school 85-90%. 50% of Hispanic males will drop out of high school. We in education and schools are not doing enough. We can complain about the borders and this and that but that is not my point. My point is that education is not doing enough to motivate boys of any and all races, especially the boys from low socio-economic areas. How does this pertain to this thread? They aren't going to put out when their whole education process has labeled them unfairly with a standard some boys can not meet. Okay I nutted up in this post and for that I apologize but it just pisses me off. Treat them like boys, let them get dirty, wrestle, be goofy and then you be firm but fair. You ask them all in first grade how many want to play football or soccer or whatever sport and most to all will raise their hand. The biggest problem is parents but education, I feel, needs to bare some of the blame. Okay done.
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Post by gilcd754 on Jul 11, 2008 22:55:44 GMT -6
Have any of you found that many boys these days don't want to compete unless they feel sure they will win. Our HC calls this the reset button mentality. That whenever the sport's demands become tough, they crumble and desperately grab on to the first excuse they can find. They're so used to hitting the reset button on their video games or finding a cheat code or putting the settings at an easy level and then dominating that when life comes with no reset button they are incapable of handling the tough times and accepting responsibility for their actions or inactions.
Parents exasperate this condition by facilitating their child's poor decisions and doing anything to have their child avoid the consequences of their actions. Any teacher who's had a parent whine about a grade even though their kid hasn't turned one assignment in all term can attest to this. Holding your kids accountable for their actions and helping them accept and cope with the consequences in a constructive manner is vital in my opinion and sports, especially football is a fantastic vehicle for doing this.
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Post by k on Jul 11, 2008 23:10:02 GMT -6
This is a ridiculous thread. Absolutely ridiculous.
Whining about everything from technology to gay rights.
Yes kids have more choices. Every one of my players has a cell phone, an xbox, an ipod, a computer, etc and they still play hell numbers are way up in every sport...
Kids don't play sports "because they want to be noticed." They play sports because they enjoy it.
You know you're old when you start making giant rants about how kids today are no good with their gay rights, baggy pants, slang words, and technology. I hope to god if I ever get to that point someone puts me out of my misery.
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Post by carson101 on Jul 12, 2008 2:15:27 GMT -6
Its not that the social decline in preference is the problem it is just one of the many distractions that I see kids face now, at least where I live. Not everywhere or everyone is going to be affected, I am sharing thoughts that have come up in several discussions in the community I reside. I see a drop in kids getting involved in several things not just sports. It is a simple observation that may offend others, but it is very true in many american towns and as a christian and a coach I will do all I can to help kids get some place in life without preaching at them. Simply helping them understand they can make a educated choice in what they do in life reguardless of how society preaches disfunction. Sorry if others miss the point, I see that some programs will grow as others decline. I also see more and more kids getting into trouble because of parental neglect or stupid choices none the less it is reality. Ridiculous yes, but so is our screwed up social network. As for technology some have it others don't, playing to be noticed is a simple way of saying, "I am of a majority of the kids that refuse to be lazy and have fun while I can", sorry for the confusion. The kids playing are there because they enjoy it, right. The ones with talent and getting into trouble are the ones I am speaking of.
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kr7263
Sophomore Member
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Post by kr7263 on Jul 12, 2008 7:46:53 GMT -6
One of the reasons kids don't get together and play ball (at least here in suburbs) is because we as parents don't know our neighbors. We live in an upper middle class community, 2 years ago there was a family of meth dealers across from the kids park. Dad-45, Mom 40, 2 kids 19,21. I look on a web site with convicted sex offenders - 2 in a 5 mile radius, 5 in 10 miles. I talk to the local cop and without going into specifics, he tells me most of the calls he makes are domestic abuse involving alcohol & drugs (at least 3 a night). I wont let my kids go to the park unsupervised. There is a group of 8-10 that play whiffle ball or kick ball in the back yard but space is limited. I coach and teach at a urban type school and its 10x worse. I would have a hard time letting my kids even walk outside.
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Post by saintrad on Jul 12, 2008 9:10:49 GMT -6
The biggest problem is parents but education, I feel, needs to bare some of the blame. Okay done. This is an interesting thread started by carson and as usual the topic, as it does some many times in real life, comes down to the education system being broke and someone outside of the education system knows how to fix it. BUT, we are also told, as liberalhater stated, that it's also not our job to be this or that. Maybe if teachers could be teachers and not just managers of kids/assessments/state tests/NCLB/whatever else america wants then maybe we can get back to being what we should be.
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Post by wingtol on Jul 12, 2008 9:28:17 GMT -6
I have a few observations on this topic. I think participation is down in urban areas to do the nature of those areas. I work in an inner-city elem. school. All the kids I teach, PE, for the most part love sports all want to play in HS. But they are faced with many more obstacles to over come to make it to the HS level and play. Some do play, some get caught up in their enviroments and don't. As far as them being out side and playing and all that I think you also have to realize when I was a kid, I am 34, and when some of the others on here were you had someone at home with you during the summer and so did most of the kids in the nehiborhood. I also worked at the local Boys and Girls club in the summer and I can tell you the number of kids in supervised programs in the summer is way up from when I was a kid. When you look at single parent households and they options they have of 1. Leave the kids home alone or 2. Send them to a summer program most take option 2. Those that are home alone are prob. told not to go out much or at all due to a lack of supervision. So it's different from meeting a bunch of your friends at the park and playing all day, now lots of these kids are somewhere other than home during the day. Also factor in the money part of it and alot of inner-city sports programs just can't compete. It's getting harder and harder to be a kid in these areas, that is why I think you see a decline in activity.
As far as other more well off areas I think you are seeing kids chose at an earlier age to concentrate on one sport. Also in alot of those areas kids are playing so many sports year round that they might simply need a break to relax. We were freaking out the other day at our summer work out as the "summer league" baseball team was at school getting ready for a game, and the basketball team was getting ready for a team camp. Year round seasons are starting to take a tool on participation. It's very rare for us to have a traditional 3 sport player any more.
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MaineManiac
Junior Member
What you see depends on what you're looking for.
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Post by MaineManiac on Jul 12, 2008 9:29:37 GMT -6
You've all already hit the nail on the head, but even in Maine where not too many outside influences pressure kids, we're seeing a reduction in participation #'s coupled with a general tone of apathy. We've had numerous discussions about how to change this. My gut tells me to stick with the kids who are excited about athletics and build around them, regardless of the # of them.
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Post by airman on Jul 12, 2008 11:00:19 GMT -6
i think numbers are down do to burn out. I know we had this at a school where I coached at 10 years ago.
the town had a huge youth sports program. They called themselves the boosters. they even had a week long 4th of july celebration for fund the boosters. very powerful organization.
they had tackle football in 3rd grade. 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8. They also had a very successful traveling basketball teams at those same levels which would start play in oct and be done at the end of feb. two practices a week and then tournys on the weekend. 50 to 60 games in this time frame.
high school basketball team and football team sucked. we found out that kids were burned out by the time they got to high school. in fact we had to institute a rule for basketball and football at the middle school. too many kids were loafing it at on the school team in order to save themselves for the traveling and booster teams. So we made a rule if you were involved in those activties you could not be in middle school sports. what this did was give kids who were cut from the booster teams a chance to play middle school sports.
we also found that booster kids got injured or had over use injuries.
when we found some parents who were in the booster org but were not liking the time requirements we asked them to track the time devoted to booster. well we found that between practice and weekend tournys kids were spending around 20 hrs per week on youth sports. 20 hours is the max a d 1 a footbll program can use its players. so youth sports in this town were way out of control.
we also found that those who were in the inhouse(nontraveling) program which focused on fundaments(becaue these kids were cut from the traveling team) and played just games amongst each other were teh kids who ended up being the kids who were most productive at the high school level.
the booster were also made sure high school coaches got hired or fired becaue of their support or not support for the boosters.
they have finally got the high school program turned around but it took a very powerful AD coming to town and a new football coach who basically told the boosters this was the way he was running his program and if the boosters wanted to be on board that was fine if not that was fine to.
the coach started a fundamentals camp on saturday mornings for kids grades 3 through 8 who were not part of the booster program and it was run by the varsity coaches and varsity players.
the booster kids actually had practice and games during the middle of the week and on saturday morning.
I am just talking from this situation but I think kids have too much on their plate and this is the problem. I know kids who get dropped off at day care at 6 am and then get picked up at 6 pm. The lifestyle choices Americans make are the reason for most of this countries problems. I see many kids being what I call trophy kids. They get that trophy and it makes mom and dad so pround and the parents can then show the trophy kid off. Also part of this countries problem is helicopter parents. they fly in, solve their childrens probelms and then fly out of their childrens lives.
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Post by carookie on Jul 13, 2008 14:31:52 GMT -6
My two cents:
I went to HS in the mid 90s and heard basically the same thing, less kids want to play sports; we had video games, the internet, drugs, single parents, everything you do now. So maybe thats not a good comparrison. But I bet if I went back to the 50s, 60s, 70s I could find coaches basically saying the same thing: TV, rock and roll, parents letting their kids grow long hair, all ruining society and cutting back their numbers. There'll always be distractions, and always be kids who don't play. But I'll say this Ive been at inner-city schools, and smaller town schools; all with drug problems, gangs, and rap music. And they all had enough football players to fill out the uniforms, and were in need of more coaches.
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Post by coachd5085 on Jul 13, 2008 15:28:58 GMT -6
A bigger issue we should be looking at (and that has been discussed here on this site) is how many GREAT H.S athletes are no longer on the team sport path...but rather enjoy "X" sports. Things can be learned from that exodus. (Not the least of which is that studies are showing that "x" sports are turning out a helluva lot more fit adults than football/baseball/basketball...)
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Post by brophy on Jul 13, 2008 17:14:27 GMT -6
I think in the lower levels of many low socio economic areas and many middle class areas that boys are not taught to the their strengths. I believe it goes back to how we teach boys in school. Many are disciplined and tagged as ADD when they are just being boys. Boys 30 years ago got into a fight in school, a natural part of being a boy, and they are disciplined by a call to their parents. Boys in a fight these days are sent home for a number of days. Teachers at the lower levels are mainly women that have a hard time understanding the needs of boys and can not control them. i LOVE YOU. Awesome post.
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Post by fbdoc on Jul 13, 2008 18:23:31 GMT -6
This discussion is not new.... "The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers." Socrates circa 380 BC I don't think the internet, cell phones, or xbox will cause the fall of civilization.
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Post by schultbear74 on Jul 13, 2008 18:58:18 GMT -6
This year, one of our linemen got a few day out of school for standing up for himself. The whole staff applauded him and told him that it was worth it. During the season he should kick lower posterior where he can't get caught. My dad taught me to stand up for myself, boy need that. I didn't really get the message until I played football.
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Post by towtheline on Jul 13, 2008 21:18:07 GMT -6
dam kids with their rap music and vidia games
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Post by jjkuenzel on Jul 13, 2008 23:46:50 GMT -6
Perception is reality gentleman. If that is how you see the world, then that is how it is. I personally don't see it that way at all. Rationalize it all you want, but the fact of the matter is that kids are no different than they were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. It is just that the mediums through which we see them being distracted from sports have changed.
Lets not romanticize the past. It is like when we remember back to when we were playing. We are always better in our own minds than we actually were. Same deal here.
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Post by carson101 on Jul 14, 2008 1:04:19 GMT -6
I agree with most of you guys and just wanted to get others opionions. I don't dislike anyones answer or perspective, it seems to me that yes this has been a generational issue probably since time began, it is my assumption that kids do burn out,parents too. I think for myself it goes back to Why do I coach,and what do I get from it? Am I an aggrivated coach? Am I harboring something inside that is wrong in how I see the game? I would guess in some respects the answer would be yes,in others just simply a willingness to do all I can so at least one kid will appreciate what he has been gifted with and help change society in a more productive way. As for the questions, I love the game, I love to coach, and I love the kids that do show up for their chance to shine and be noticed. It is said that if a coach isn't talking,yelling,or on your case, he isn't paying attention anyways. I beleive it is that if a coach is getting in your ear, he likes what your becoming and is pushing to get you better, so that in the end you can see yourself as the best you can become.
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Post by justryn2 on Jul 14, 2008 7:12:08 GMT -6
My two cents worth. Kids today actually are different than they were in the past because they are raised differently. I was taught by my parents to respect adults, and that meant ALL adults, and generally do whatever an adult told me to do. However, things are very different now. I have NOT taught my children the same thing. I've taught my children that adults are not always right and that they should not just automatically trust someone just because they are older.
I believe that, as a result, kids just generally have less respect for adults. I'm not even saying that's a bad thing it's just the society we live in today. So, when coaches try to use the same methods they saw used when they played sports, kids are generally less inclined to respond in a positive way. In other words, the kids are different but the coaching is the same and that's turning kids off sports. Coaches need to realize that a much higher percentage of kids will now "turn-off" to the dictatorial approach. Coaches need to find new ways to get voluntary "buy-in" from their players while at the same time maintaining control. Its a new challenge and coaches need to step up or risk alienating a sizable percentage of quality athletes.
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Post by coachcb on Jul 14, 2008 8:17:06 GMT -6
IMO, this has been a topic of discussion for the last 50-60 years in this country. Each generation believes that the one ahead of them is lazier and less competent than they were. I've been listening to various generations within my family make the same argument for a long time. However, I do believe that technology has has an effect in several ways:
1. Society is becoming more urbanized; jobs revolve around technology and those jobs are generally found in urban areas.
2. Because of urbanization, children don't have to be as physically active. People live and work closer together. Children no longer need to walk or ride a bike a few miles during their day. Their lives revolve around a small block area.
3. Because of technology and urbanization, children generally no longer have to spend their summers farming, ranching or doing more physically intensive jobs. Hell, my fiance's family owns a ranch and a farm; technology has allowed them to operate these businesses with limited labor.
Kids have access to sedentary entertainment, there's no way around it. However, it is our jobs as coaches to make our sports more appealing than myspace or facebook.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2008 10:18:35 GMT -6
IMO, this has been a topic of discussion for the last 50-60 years in this country. Each generation believes that the one ahead of them is lazier and less competent than they were. I've been listening to various generations within my family make the same argument for a long time. However, I do believe that technology has has an effect in several ways: 1. Society is becoming more urbanized; jobs revolve around technology and those jobs are generally found in urban areas. 2. Because of urbanization, children don't have to be as physically active. People live and work closer together. Children no longer need to walk or ride a bike a few miles during their day. Their lives revolve around a small block area. 3. Because of technology and urbanization, children generally no longer have to spend their summers farming, ranching or doing more physically intensive jobs. Hell, my fiance's family owns a ranch and a farm; technology has allowed them to operate these businesses with limited labor. Kids have access to sedentary entertainment, there's no way around it. However, it is our jobs as coaches to make our sports more appealing than myspace or facebook. When you can do that, write a book, I'd be the 1st to buy it!!!! ;D Duece
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chuff
Sophomore Member
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Post by chuff on Jul 14, 2008 10:22:51 GMT -6
Yes, Kids are no different than they were 50 years ago, but their environment IS.
In Socrates' time and in most of our life times, children experienced challenges are were expected to "figure it out." Today, there is a reset button on anything and more opportunities for "do overs." I even had a kid in an Honors class ask me when the retake test was! Kids are not expected to overcome opsticles are there are always easier ways around them. Parents are only a cell phone call away.
A short story: A boy was caught with a girl at school receiving a "favor" of a sexual nature. Both were suspended. The boy's grandmother came in to appeal the suspension because "he wasn't actually DOING anything, just standing there" while she did what she did.
I know that one story does not generalize a whole population, but I do believe that children, not only boys, are being sheltered from dealing with challenges, and from accepting responsibility for mistakes.
There is a book on this topic called "A Nation of Wimps," I don't remember the author's name, but this trend is being noticed by others besides football coaches.
And yes, it is our responsibility to find a way to overcome this social problem. I completely agree, and I think that is one of the strengths of our nation: we have always found a way to overcome the challenges presented to us. I just hope that future generations can do the same, or else those civilizations, like that of Socrates, crumbles eventually.
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Post by coachaaron on Jul 14, 2008 11:25:18 GMT -6
I agree, that each generation does seem to think subsequent generations will ruin the world, in one way or another.
I think a lot has to do with the environment. I teach at an urban school that is 98% Hispanic and 90+% qualify for free lunch and breakfast. The vast majority of these kids are appathetic and all the other things listed on this thread. And yes, the problem is largely their parents . . .only 40% of freshman entering this HS have historically graduated, and it has been this way long enough that the kids in the school now, only 40% of their parents graduated. However, in my opinion, the parents are only a symptom of the real problem in this community.
The real problem is public assistance. This school is in massachusetts that has a very libral welfare system along with a million non-profit organizations that enable people to stay on public assistance forever. The kids see their parents on public assistance, not working, and still getting by . . and they come to the conclusion that the less they do the more they get (which is true in the public assistance system). Therefore, there is no incentive for these kids to do anything . . .the basic drive of human survival has been lost.
Not only does this public assistance program sap kids of their work ethic, but it also increases teen pregnancy rates, because the girls know if they want to continue the family bussiness (living on welfare) they must have children by the time they are 18 to get full benefits. Public assistance also increases crime because people living in these housing developments want more money then the state provides, so they have to do it illegally, or their benefits will be cut with a rising income.
There are some kids in the school doing the right things, that are motivated, and are trying to break the cycle of poverty . .. those are the ones that keep me working there.
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Post by airman on Jul 14, 2008 15:21:49 GMT -6
I Perception is reality gentleman. If that is how you see the world, then that is how it is. I personally don't see it that way at all. Rationalize it all you want, but the fact of the matter is that kids are no different than they were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. It is just that the mediums through which we see them being distracted from sports have changed. Lets not romanticize the past. It is like when we remember back to when we were playing. We are always better in our own minds than we actually were. Same deal here. I repectfully disagree. Kids have way more issues to deal with. I graduated high school 22 years ago and we 4 kids in my entire class of 220 who had divorced parents. Now I read the athletic forms at the beginning of the year and it looks more the like other way around. 4 kids from 2 parent homes and the rest divorced homes. you have to have 2 sets of contact numbers. kids are forced at an early age to go back and forth on the weekends. many kids lack stabel homes. or as my pastor says, there are not illegit kids only illegit parents. The lack of matrial discipline in the country is directly affecting kids escially boys. Boys need a male figure in their lives. for the most part men have been reduced to sperm donors and financial contributors. You can not be an effective dad when you get your kid less then 120 days per year. I give kudos to those men how can some how but the vast majority of boys in the country the only male figure they have his a coach usually. look at out elementery schools, all woman and womanly man teachers. middle school is where you start to see men teaching and then at the high school level. many in elementery schools have set out to make little girls out of little boys. boy play tackle football, boys play war, boys play competitive games and these games are all but taken a way from them. Then you have drug issues and I am not talking about the illegal ones. Boys are drugged into cooperation at schools. boys are naturally curious and we in the schools of america have taken this and made this a bad thing. I know I would have been drugged if I were a boy now. what I find interesting is how we can take add and adhd kids into the do jo I train at, take them off their drugs and in a matter of 4 month teaching them martial arts we can do away with add and adhd. It amazes the parents. concentration can be taught. Studys are also showing the video games change the development of minds. the new hologram games which will be coming out change brain chemistry. I believe video are essentially not good for boys. THe military was using video games in the llate 1970s to teach people how to kill. the video game industry is an offshoot of the guys who did simulators for the military.
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