They say that teenagers are lazy. They say that they're selfish. They say teenagers are slackers, are shallow, are out of touch.
Not at my school.
They say that teachers are jaded, underqualified, and satisfied with the minimum effort from themselves and their learners.
Not at my school.
They say that administrators sit behind their desks all day, don't care about what the teachers want or need-- or what the students want or need.
Not at my school.
When I was in dance, way back when I was still coordinated, we had a lot of themed recitals. One of them was called "Everything and the Kitchen Sink." I believe I wore a purple spangled outfit and brandished a light saber.
But the recital that always stuck with me was called "No Hype, Just Talent." No gimmicks. No flash. Just a bunch of gangly dancers doing what dancers do.
It's recruitment time at NTO, and with that comes a lot of responsibility to dazzle the incoming fishies with our MacBooks and our common areas and-- look! Our tables have wheels, whee!!!
But WE speak for ourselves.
Today, my administrator listened to and accepted my proposal for an on campus Writing Center. Immediately after our talk, I sent out emails to a dozen or so highly recommended learners, asking them to consider becoming peer tutors.
I expected a low, ambivalent response. I'm not offering them much. I guess it's a cool thing to put on a resume, but essentially it's academic, volunteer work.
Within minutes I had responses:
"This sounds like fun!"
"I'll be there!"
"I'm definitely interested in this program."
Why? Because we get better kids or because we made them drink the New Tech Kool-Aid?
No. Because I think that's what this environment creates: kids who care about each other. Kids who care about academic readiness. Kids to whom devoting their free time to help their peers just sounds like a good idea.
Before I came to New Tech, I had no idea what to expect from teenagers. But it wasn't this. Honestly, having seen such maturity, generosity, and dedication from the hormone-riddled proto humans that stalk our hallways, I now have much higher expectations for the adults around me.
There's no Gangnam Style in this blog, no funny pictures, no lol RLY SKOOL IZ 4 STRESS CAT jokes. Every now and then I think you-- whether you're an educator, an administrator, a learner, or a bystander-- just need to stop and be humbled about what these kids are doing just because of who they are:
No hype, just talent.
