Volunteered at a local high school to critique presentations

Was asked to spend a couple days at one of the local public schools to critique presentations made by H.S. seniors. So I was at the school all day Wednesday and 1/2 day on Thursday.

So today I was informed that 3 students were upset that I asked "hard" questions, expected them to have actually done some research and then told them the truth. Apparently they went to the principal and complained that their self-esteem was hurt. Seriously, that is actually what I was told.

WOW, wonder how they will survive in the workforce. But I thought I asked reasonable questions, afterall I asked them about their work. And I pointed out that there were simple research questions that could have been asked, but they didn't bother to even do that. So wow, just wow, the world awaits these pampered youths. I pity the world.

their parents need a conference it seems

SShepherd said:

their parents need a conference it seems

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Actually I think the kids need more people to come in and speak the truth. But the schools probably shouldn't wait until the 2nd semester of their coddled senior year. These kids need to wake up.

The teacher, with whom I sat, turned to me in late in the afternoon and said "you're awesome" after I finshed talking to one of the groups.

But here is what happened. The long story:

Kids got an assignment to come up with a fund raising project for one of the school clubs. It was supposed to be viable. They were told, if needed, they could spend up to $500 to fund the project to make money. They were told they needed to do a survey of students. They were given SOME objectives, and they were also given 1 month to come up with the proposal, which should include profit, revenue, expenses, etc.

Some kids thought that if they spent $500 to make $500 that that was good.

Some kids thought that if they spent $500 and earned $1000 in revenue that the club now magically had $1000 in their bank account because they forgot to deduct the $500 in start up costs.

Not one single group of students bothered to go to the head of the club, all of whom they were introduced to, and ask the club sponsor a simple question: HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO RAISE?

There were a few groups who came up with simple, effective, sales campaigns. From a "single stick" of Trident to customized ChapStick lip balm tubes. Those were actually well thought out, but also pretty close to idiot proof.

Others wanted to do LARPING, something I still don't understand. Its LIVE ACTION ROLE PLAYING and they would set up some sort of tournament and kids would pay money to LARP. It was actually intriquing, but I'm to old to wrap my mind around it.

So ideas were varied, and some very creative. And that is when things fell apart. After the idea.

They would do "surveys" and actually thought if they asked 8, 10 or maybe 15 random kids that those were good surveys that would represent the general population.

95% of the surveys did NOT aske any demographic question so we had no clue if the survey was taken in the school hallway asking any kid walking by (boys, girls, younger students, older students) or if it was taken in the boys locker room after football practice (boys only), etc.

Oh, and on the 2nd day I was there the survey sizes went from an average of about a Dozen students to an average of about 100 students, so I suspect, because word got around, that the students simply added a "0" to their sample size

Bob I work for NASA and I have seen the same attitude from college educated adults. On numerous occasions we would be sitting in a meeting and someone would make a suggestion, I would ask a question or point out a problem and people would at me like I had just kicked a puppy. I was even told "you shouldn't be so negative."

My 21 years in the National Guard taught me at least one thing about presentations, be ready for any question from the commander.

Story starts to get better.

Its Saturday and I found out that the principal contacted the teacher about if it is appropriate for the fragile egos of the 2nd Semester Senior class should be exposed to real life, of if they should be sheltered for another 90 days until they receive their diploma.

WOW.

If you can't tell a kid who is about to graduate and enter the real world the truth, then when can you break it to them. There is no Santa Clause. There is no Tooth Fairy. There is no Easter Bunny.

Bob, I can empathize.

Both in the UK and the US it befell me to mentor our new hire Petroleum Engineering graduates. They all came with a piece of paper from their college that they had paid a lot of money for and worked hard to get but many of them thought that that was the end of their journey. The hardest thing to do was to convince them that their piece of paper proved that they had the ability to learn and not that they actually knew a darned thing. It took some of them 6 months to realize that what they had was the foundation and it would take probably most if not the whole of their careers to build the whole house.

Our Rotary Club has a lot of interaction with our high school students. We sponsor scholarships and leadership programs. A lot of these kids have outstanding potential but it is just potential. Most of them live in a very closeted and closed world where it is very difficult if not impossible to fail. Some do a lot better than others within the system, but very few actually "fail" because failure would destroy their "self esteem". It comes as a fundamental shock to some of them when they leave school or college and find out that their employer doesn't care about their self image. Their employer wants them to produce all day, every day and their work has to be of the highest standard because that is what the employer is paying them for. If they don't ..........

It's tough out in the real world.

Melensdad said:

Story starts to get better.

Its Saturday and I found out that the principal contacted the teacher about if it is appropriate for the fragile egos of the 2nd Semester Senior class should be exposed to real life, of if they should be sheltered for another 90 days until they receive their diploma.

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It sounds like the Principal is passing the buck,he needs to ban cotton wool wrapping and from day one introduce reality in to these students lives.

Melensdad said:

Story starts to get better.

Its Saturday and I found out that the principal contacted the teacher about if it is appropriate for the fragile egos of the 2nd Semester Senior class should be exposed to real life, of if they should be sheltered for another 90 days until they receive their diploma.

WOW.

If you can't tell a kid who is about to graduate and enter the real world the truth, then when can you break it to them. There is no Santa Clause. There is no Tooth Fairy. There is no Easter Bunny.

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I think, the new norm, according to Obama, is 26. That's the age at which you get to pay for your own medical insurance and presumably move out of mommy's basement.

The age seems to be moving up. I was 12 when my allowance suddenly changed from what I was given to what I could earn working on my dad's construction job.

Brave man you are Bob. Did you realize that you might have been sued by one or more parents for mental anguish, bullying our whatever?

Adillo303 said:

Brave man you are Bob. Did you realize that you might have been sued by one or more parents for mental anguish, bullying our whatever?

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It's only been a a few days; that could still happen. And judging by the way their kids behaved, they just might. The youngsters learned that pampered behavior somewhere.

I think it might be a badge of honor to be banned from telling students the truth in school!

Melensdad said:

Story starts to get better.

Its Saturday and I found out that the principal contacted the teacher about if it is appropriate for the fragile egos of the 2nd Semester Senior class should be exposed to real life, of if they should be sheltered for another 90 days until they receive their diploma.

WOW.

If you can't tell a kid who is about to graduate and enter the real world the truth, then when can you break it to them. There is no Santa Clause. There is no Tooth Fairy. There is no Easter Bunny.

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Say What?

They are about to graduate to the school of hard knocks.

Leni said:

They are about to graduate to the school of hard knocks.

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And some of them are already doomed to fail

Melensdad said:

I think it might be a badge of honor to be banned from telling students the truth in school!

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Wear it proudly!!!!

At this rate, the "children" will always be "children", doomed to fail in the real world. Hopefully they have their sexuality figured out, with a choice to be a boy, a girl, or "questioning".

It's nothing new that you are an asshole Bob...

Seriously though... I am not shocked by this. We are raising a society of pussies. Over the weekend at my daughter's gymnasics meet (can you older members believe she is TWELVE already??) and it befuddles me that no matter how many kids of the same age and skill level they are... they break them into groups and EACH groups gets a first through ?? and they all get medals and awards. That's not the way it worked when I was a kid! There could be 100 kids running the 100M dash... but only one first place ribbon. We learned to COMPETE.

rback33 said:

It's nothing new that you are an asshole Bob...

Seriously though... I am not shocked by this. We are raising a society of pussies. Over the weekend at my daughter's gymnasics meet (can you older members believe she is TWELVE already??) and it befuddles me that no matter how many kids of the same age and skill level they are... they break them into groups and EACH groups gets a first through ?? and they all get medals and awards. That's not the way it worked when I was a kid! There could be 100 kids running the 100M dash... but only one first place ribbon. We learned to COMPETE.

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You learned to COMPETE?! OMG! You mean your teachers let you risk FAILURE? OMG!

Nowadays, the skool systems worry about "self esteem", and place the tender feelings of the little darlings above all else. Everybody gets a ribbon.

Well, fine. Too bad the real world doesn't work that way. The little fucks are in for a rude awakening when they get away from the protective skirt of the skools.

Kane - I would be in tears laughing if that was not so true.