The Good News About Kids Today

The conventional wisdom is that the youth of today doesn’t read, is glued to a video screen, spends endless hours on the computer and has no imagination.  They’re heading for a life of mindlessness, don’t care about anyone but themselves and are pretty much beyond salvage.

Rockville Patch's new Whiz Kids feature, which debuts today, got me thinking about all of this.

My kids range in age from 10 to 20.  I also tutor writing, run an after-school and summer program called KidWrite! for kindergarteners through fifth-graders and lead summer book clubs for middle schoolers. In short, I meet a lot of kids.

I’m here to report that caring, inquisitive, sensitive, creative kids are alive and well right here in Rockville.

The college kids I’ve met these past two years are passionate about their futures and about the environment. They’re serious about finding solutions to the problems they find and they are more than comfortable thinking outside the box—way outside the box—to do so.

High school? Those kids are some of the hardest working kids I’ve ever met. They’re taking course loads that make me wince, yet are still managing to hang out with friends at after-school clubs, sports and yes—through instant messaging on their computers. They're also well-informed and interested in what's going on around them.

Middle school is the age of the video game. It seems sometimes that the consoles and controllers are stuck to their hands and that their eyes will never look away from the screen. Insist that they put the video game away and ask them a probing question or two. You’ll find a very full life is going on behind the scenes, a life complete with goals and thoughts of their future that range far beyond someone else’s vision or ideas.

At the elementary school level, I meet amazing kids each day in KidWrite! They come barreling in after a full day of school and can’t wait to tell me their stories. They tackle whatever I give them with enthusiasm and are eager to share their work with each other. If one kid is stuck, several kids will try to help. They have imaginations that just don’t quit and are curious about new words and new ways to say what’s on their minds. They’re funny, quirky people who make me certain we’re in for great things in the future.

My report from the field is that we have plenty to celebrate about kids today. Yes, they need more exercise. Yes, they need more time outdoors. Yes, they need more time to just be kids. No argument there. But when it comes to the qualities that matter most, they’re doing just fine.