“In their situation of confusion and despair, the present councils have no fixed character. It is now the hurricane months of British politics. Every day seems to have a storm of its own, and they are scudding under the bare poles of hope. Beaten but not humble, condemned but not pertinent, they are acting like men trembling at facts and catching a straw.” (An American Crisis, by Thomas Paine, 1776)
“Balked, not taken seriously, deprived of great objects and available opportunities, and in an atmosphere that does not require service, it is hard to have faith, or to feel justified in having a calling, or win honors. But then what fills the place of these? For every experience a human being has – a whole new way of being in the world.” (chapter: Faith, in the book, Growing Up Absurd, 1956, by Paul Goodman).
Do not our times feel like those described by Mr. Paine (one of the American nation founders, who, unlike other founders, rejected slavery, and said that each generation has a right to envision and to plan the conditions of society, so as not to be ruled from the grave). Today, in our age of political polarization, acceptance of extremism as being legit, living in a world where the earth itself is in full revolt against mankind’s unthoughtful manipulation of nature, teens are seeking to move beyond the ‘bare poles of hope’, and constructing participatory, democratic agendas and programs to counter a system of governance which seeks to control and manipulate them in ways that seem more like British monarchy than American democracy. In 1776, our founders wrote a grievance section in which they cited several problematic conditions which could no longer be resolved except through independence. These include citing taxation without representation, being subject to remote and arbitrary laws, having authority being imposed on them in a discriminatory fashion, the use of excessive force against them without remedy or reform in governance, and the presence repeatedly of having petitions for addressing abuses go unanswered. Today, 30% of 16- and 17-year-old stakeholders pay income taxes, and all pay sales taxes, but they cannot vote. Students are subject to school regulations without their input or consent, including censorship, dress codes which violate their cultural identities, and discipline codes which are enforced in such ways that black and brown students are penalized at 5 times the rate as white students for the same types of offenses. The typical school in NYC has many more security agents on school sites than numbers of psychologists and social workers. Students have sought remedy though letters, petitions and advocacy visits to the offices of elected officials, but progress in making change has barely moved. What I addressed in my book is that when teens are invited and supported in community affairs and civic endeavors, they exceed expectations, and help to make changes which are beneficial to both society and to their social/emotional and cognitive development.
Students today are still balked and too often not taken seriously. Although recent scientific studies, and the record of teens who are communally and electorally involved have both shown, is that the assertions of deficient thinking and abilities have been thoroughly debunked, but many adults still hold on to the older dismissive and demeaning outdated assumptions about teens. Students today are given higher education opportunities, but only by paying exorbitant costs rather than having subsidized tuition costs paid by the government. More affluent school districts provide a greater array of challenging coursework necessary for higher education success. New York City, despite the integration mandates found in the 1954 Supreme Court ruling (by a vote of 9-0), is still one of the most segregated school districts in America. The younger generation is the first one to be told that time is running out on fixing our environmental crisis, yet adults still pay for and support a fossil fuel industry – indeed, although almost all scientists have called urgently for reductions in production of fuels which damage the environment, these fuels reached historically high levels of production in 2023. If this does not challenge the faith of the young, I don’t know what else to call it. In my decades of work with teens, the condition they would often describe to me is the that of believing they would not live past the age of 30. Jill Stouffe, in her writing called “ The injustice of not being heard”, describes our toxic relationship with the young all too well when she writes about “ ethical loneliness- the isolation one feels, when, as a violated person or member of a persecuted group, one feels that they have been abandoned by humanity, or by those with power over one’s possibilities. It feels as if the world will not listen, or cannot properly hear their testimony ( about their suffering or claims) on their own terms.”
If all this sounds bleak, then to a degree, my mission for now is accomplished. However, there is much more positive to share, both in my book, and by teen led programs which have blossomed since the release of my book. These I will share in Part II of my thought bubbles, to be sent to you by mid-day tomorrow. For now, one positive share, the goals and objectives stated in the National Council of Social Studies recommendations for effective and just social studies teaching and learning:
NCSS Bulletin III. Standards of Social Studies. Power, Authority and Governance Chapter 2, page 19:
- Social studies programs should include that provide for the study of how people create, interact with and change structures of power, authority and governance.
- The syllabus of social studies should encourage students to study the foundations of evolving structures of power, authority and governance.
- Students should be allowed, and encouraged, to raise questions, and to confront answers presented to them.
- Students should be guided to promote positive social change.
In sum, the primary school teacher Mary Cowley (who spent 14 years as a community organizer before choosing to teach) calls this approach ( in her book, Black Ants and Buddhists) one that promotes “ dialoging – where wisdom is encouraged to emerge though shared participation.” Other educators, such as Asa Hilliard ( and his colleagues at the magazine Rethinking Schools), would add that teachers ( and adults) would benefit from adjusting their perceptions of teens, and relate to them as “ truth tellers and changemakers; as authors who share their authentic stories, of being valued for their power to see things as they are, and to critique; and having a right to original sources and bold ideas.”
Recent Comments