I know that you’ve heard it. “These kids today have no sense of responsibility!” “These kids today don’t know what real work is like!” or even, “These kids today don’t seem to care about anything other than themselves!”

If only more people knew what “these kids today” could do.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is that I get see what kids can do on a regular basis. Even more rewarding is seeing these accomplishments coming as a result of a real community connection. When a student sees that, through an authentic project, they have the potential to make significant contributions to their community, suddenly the classroom feels less like an isolated environment and more like a hub for real networking and problem solving. In addition, when the community starts to see students as contributors and even viable resources for assistance with real problems, then you start to see significant changes in the perceptions that they have of our youth.

The key to this is the development of partnerships between schools and community groups that have a need. Within our schools, these connections are intentional. In the development of an authentic, project-based learning curriculum, the school and community should have a symbiotic relationship (not just one directional). Here are just a few examples of what those connections look like in our schools:

• In California, New Tech students partnered with the local Mosquito and Vector Control Agency to hold community forums that educated people about the outbreak of West Nile Virus in the area.

• A Community Fitness and Health Faire was developed by P.E. and health students, in conjunction with a local hospital, as a response to a survey that suggested people in the neighborhood were not very active and had unhealthy diets.

• In Indiana and New York, New Tech students in physics classes created solar cookers and donated them to local charities that were in need of portable ovens.

• New Tech students in a web design class developed web sites for local business that needed an improved online presence.

In addition to these examples, students across the network are participating in community internships at local businesses and are completing senior projects that are tied to a community partner in some way. One such student intern was recently hired to a paid, part-time position at the mayor’s office. She replaced another individual who, according to the student, “didn’t know how to collaborate.” Apparently that person hadn’t attended a New Tech.

Of course, there are significant instructional benefits to these connections as well. Students are typically more engaged at school if they feel that the work “means something.” These connections create greater opportunities for students to apply the state content standards in a way that allows them to see why they need to have these skills. This approach also activates high levels of critical thinking, making the students better equipped to solve unpredictable problems.

With New Tech students tackling challenging situations in their communities that have fluctuating variables and multiple solutions, perceptions are starting to change about what kids can do. These students act as ambassadors, not only for the New Tech Network but for all of “these kids today.”

So, the next time you hear someone grumbling disparagingly about teenagers, invite them to tour an NTN school. Have them talk to the students about the purpose of their projects. Have them talk to the teachers about the role that the community plays in their instruction. By the end of the visit, they might just say, “These kids today give me hope for the future.”

Written by: Kris Williams, School Development Coach for New Tech Network

Photo Credit: thescarletmanuka