APRIL 5, 1968
Generations Declare War: on Each Other
The issue in question here is whether or not all this heated discussion has thrown any light on the problem. The universal struggle between parents and their teenagers and between teachers and their students resembles the old stories of the feuding mountain folk. After several generations of feuding, both sides eventually forget why it all started in the first place.
Even so, the fight continues for reasons unknown.
Apparently, this is the stage that the "generation gap" has reached. When the bell rings, signifying that the golden age of 13 has dawned, war is automatically declared on the home front and at school as well. The problem is that parents and teachers expect the kids to rebel so they are busy preparing themselves for the fight long before it is declared. The same is true for the other side of the picture. Teens are drilled in strategic warfare from the first grade on. By the time they have become full-fledged teenagers, the only course of action most of them are familiar with is the war route.
Of course, this isn't true at all; but over the years this is the impression that has become accepted by many people. This is the basis of many of the problems in our classes today. Teachers expect trouble, and students feel obligated to provide it. Many teachers and students are finding out the hard way that the firmest hand isn't always the strongest.
A new approach is needed to break the present monotonous pattern that is slowly getting us nowhere. The difficult part of the problem is to decide which way to turn now. Perhaps we must start with the young children to build better relationships. Parents and teachers should be a child's best friend instead of number one enemies. If a child can achieve a worthwhile relationship with his parents and teachers when he is young, chances are that he will maintain them as a teenager. Whenever the going gets rough, keep this old saying in mind: Honey will catch more flies than vinegar any day.