Kids Today

Kids today are unlike the kids of previous generations. They have so much technology that they were born into. They are so connected to each other, electronically. They are exposed to so much more than we were, at a much younger age. It is harder to keep their attention in the classroom, which must seem so tame compared to the world they are exposed to, every day. How has all of this affected them? In my opinion, it has made them more confident, more savvy, more interesting. I am constantly amazed by the kids in my life.

Starting with my niece, Catherine. We call her Cate. I admit I am biased, but I think she's incredible. She is so confident, and she has many talents. I finally convinced her to send me some of her writing this year. The kid writes like a college student, and she's only 16. She is thriving at The Met, her charter school in Sacramento. She went from struggling with math to tutoring geometry. She is focused, college bound, and so intelligent. So far, she makes wise choices when it comes to boyfriends. I spent a week with her last summer and I had do much fun! She is more confident and mature at 16 than I was at 26. We are so lucky to have in our lives and in our family - she is the best of us. She is sweet, appreciative and delightful to be around. She is also beautiful, and she shines brightly. I love her, unconditionally.

Next we have Katie, my poster child for AVID. One of the few AVID kids who actually likes taking Cornell Notes. She has fought, and continues to fight, for the program she believes in. She personifies individual determination. With no support at home, she set her sights on college long before she discovered AVID. She is one of those resilient kids who is focused on her dream and is going to achieve it come hell or high water. She won the AVID writing contest every year until this one, when her school cut the program and made her ineligible. She has won at the regional level, which means she wrote the best essay in Region 8, which goes from Thousand Oaks to Paso and over toward Kern County. She also writes like a college student. She has been granted admission to UCSD in advance, but she is hoping for Stanford. Stanford will be lucky to have her. She is also beautiful.

Yesterday our friend Rob came over with his beautiful daughter, Gabriella. Gabriella was in my class the last time I was out with cancer. It broke my heart to miss out on having her as my student after looking forward to it for years. She came over to play music with Casey. She is a talented guitar player, and Casey loves playing music with her. She has that special quality that talented musicians have - she can play the notes but she can also improvise. Her singing voice is lovely and her songwriting is unique. Her phrasing is interesting and makes her songs work really well. She has also, thanks to her dad the concert junkie, gone to many concerts and written reviews that have been published in online magazines. She also writes like a college student. She dreams of being a music journalist, and she is well on her way at 16.

Then there are the three Willis children. Peggy was my first friend to get married and have children. Ashley was the first baby I ever held. She went to Cal Poly and did part of her student teaching in my classroom. Ashley is an English teacher and Brittany and Eric are planning to teach. The Willis kids are adults now, but they have all impressed me, all their lives. Last summer at Ashley's wedding it was wonderful to see how close the three of them are, and how close they are to their parents.

Overall I am awed by today's kids. I have been teaching and observing kids since 1984, and I think today's kids are an incredible generation. I could give many more examples from my classroom - my AVID kids over the years have been amazing, and the kids in my English class have been wonderful. It's the kids who make teaching such a wonderful experience. I would be proud to have any of the six kids I mentioned as my own. There is something really special about knowing a kid, like I've known Cate and the Willis kids, their entire lives. Watching them grow from babyhood to adulthood is a gratifying experience. I don't have my own kids, but I feel like these kids, and all of the kids in my classroom, fill that void in my life. I feel proud to have a part in their lives.

Namaste, Jill