It would seem child-like to fight back until you got your way, yet sometimes it needs to be done. When children do n't “fit in” or meet expectations of the society in which they live, they change who they are. M any times they change their personalities by stand ing up against adult authority figur e s to fight for what they feel is right. B ut instead of the adults addressing the problem of them being social outcast s , the y label the child as a “rebel” when really they are voicing their opinions . This denial adults have is shown in this quote from Won's article: “…..The adult world has been somewhat reluctant to let youth appraise its self and express its world view” (Musgrove 219 ). Kids should know what the expectations are and whether or not they can achieve them . So they should have the most say in what the expectations exactly are.
Since children are the future of society , they know what they can and can't achieve . They should have more say than adults . The ignorance of adults can have a negative effect on the kids it's directed at . Obviously , n ot every kid shows negative effects in the same way. Kids who fail to meet expectations might rebel and pressur e others to rebel with them . They may change themselves completely, or pay and never learn. T he y may also pull away from society and the morals they grew up with.
These days many kids are “neglected” by adults in the society around them. Kids are never given a chance to show their feelings or thoughts on society. They are assumed to be immature, and they will never get their opinions or input taken into consideration even if they can better society. One outcome of this assumption on the kids' behalf is stated in this quote by Won, he said; “And this reluctance has given rise to solutions being "imposed" on youth, resulting in a general clash of values”(219). Children just don't care about society anymore because society doesn't seem to care about them.
Kids don't believe in morals or values anymore and these clashes begin to spread from kid to kid. Most of the time it spreads by peer pressure or bullies. More kids will “clash” values and soon no one agrees on anything. Kids can meet expectations if they set them and if they meet them, they won't have a clash of morals anymore. Kids with morals and values could be made fun of and ridiculed until he gives up becoming cynical.
Children are the future so it is only right that they help decide on social expectations. Yet their suggestions are turned down by adults because a kid can't possibly know what's good for them. That's a lie, kids understand what's going on. It is pointless to keep their thoughts and expectations on society out of the loop. They need to know what's going on in the world so they can someday run it. Letting kids get involved will put morals and values back in their life.
I feel teaching is to blame for the rejection of their input. They aren't taught the expectations in a way that kids fully understand. Kids have different expectations in different culture as the following quote explains further;“ Gay reports that the variety of interests, aptitudes, motivations, experiences, and cultural conditioning determines how--not whether--students can or cannot learn. Gay suggests the primary issue is for the school to provide what the child needs now…”(Foertsch 13). They can't follow expectations if they don't learn them and they can't learn them if they stop trying. Teachers ultimately determine what a child's life will be by controlling what they learn. The Board of Education decide on curriculums in schools. Make it too hard, kids will quit failing to meet expectations. Make it too easy, kids won't apply themselves and will stop learning.
Families with lower a social status have a lower level of learning but they have better chances in their everyday lives. A study was conducted to see how kids differ according to social status, “This study points out the danger in global generalizations about the literacy needs of cultural and ethnic minority students who have low socioeconomic status”(Foertsch 13). The expectations that were taught to current adults have changed for kids today disappointing some parents. They want their kids to be like them, even if the parents failed to meet expectations. Kids don't have equal opportunity to meet expectations in the culture in which they live.
