Juvenile Behavior

Dear Ed Inquiry,

Although I am not a college professor, I have recently had two conversations with professors who are disgusted that they are dealing with discipline issues at a post-secondary level.

I thought maybe their expectations were too high, so I spoke with my college sophomore daughter. She concurs and is often appalled and dumbfounded by the stupidity of her peers.  

What is going on? It seems that if these young adults want to attend college, they would have enough common sense to act appropriately.

Sincerely,

Juvenile Behavior

Dear Juvenile Behavior,

Your last sentence says it all. 

First of all, not all young adults enrolled in college courses actually want to be there. Sometimes, it’s parental pressure, societal pressure, or the fear of not making enough bank to live their entitled lives that drives them to plop their disrespectful butts in those seats every week. 

No one bothers to tell them that they have a choice. Maybe if they were allowed to take a path that suits them better, behavior wouldn’t be an issue. After all, there are many ways to get an education, and not all happen in a classroom. Just sayin’. 

Furthermore, common sense as it was once known doesn’t seem to be so common anymore.  And, I will contend that values such as respect, a strong work ethic, and responsibility don’t come naturally. They are taught, hopefully by parents.

This brings up the issue of some parents doing so much for their precious pumpkins that they develop a learned helplessness. I swear that some of them have mothers waiting in the hallway ready to spoon feed and wipe them. Oops. Can you tell this is a hot-button issue for me?

College students will not behave as expected unless they are raised to live up to expectations.  It pisses me off that a professional at the college level has to deal with bad behavior. And, as a parent of a kid who follows the rules and wants to be there, it infuriates me that her learning is disrupted by idiotic issues that belong in a pre-school, not a college. 

Not everyone is ready for college right out of high school. Some are never ready for college.  Let’s stop forcing it on those people. 

Rant over.

Ed Inquiry