I hear some educators bemoan the lack of discipline in their students – “They are too entitled,” professors will say, or “They have no work ethic,” or “Ruined by their helicopter parents.”
To start: I do think helicopter parenting is a problem, work ethic is vital, and no one should act entitled.
But. But.
Much of the time, the real problem is that this generation of student is not going to be motivated by unkindness. If you can’t teach without using intimidation, fear, or cruelty, the students will appear lazy, unfocused, or rude. They aren’t. They just know that they aren’t going to respond to your teaching methods.
This is a good thing. The more we gain a population unwilling to be led by intimidation, the more we gain leaders who can motivate effectively with more positive methods.