Noteworthy: Students can’t possibly be as bad as they’re saying, can they?

By Bruce Penton on November 13, 2024.

Times have changed in the classroom, according to a recent Globe and Mail story, in that students are far less civil and far more unruly and disrespectful than they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

My, how things have changed, if that’s true. My classroom experiences ended more than 50 years ago, so my perspective has no real claim to legitimacy, but 50 years ago, the teacher was God. Didn’t ever consider talking back. Followed orders directly: Line up. No gum chewing. No talking. There were no phones in one’s backpack in those days, unless you had a very, very, very long cord. Saluting was not required, but it wasn’t far away.

A woman who conducted the study said, “Rude habits are a potential precursor to higher levels of anti-social behaviour and bullying.”

Personally, I have trouble totally believing this. My daughter is a teacher in Calgary and her student-related anecdotes are generally the opposite of this newspaper story: She often relates tales of caring students who pay attention and are quick to help. Different socioeconomic situations may affect classrooms in different cities, of course, and a blanket observation about student conduct is both unfair and impossible to measure.

Thought-provoking story though, and I’d be interested in receiving some input (anonymous or not) from today’s teachers about life in the classroom in 2024.

– Just a typical day in Medicine Hat, with honest people doing good deeds with no reward expected:

A woman with the second-cutest baby I’ve seen all year (sorry, but my granddaughter is No. 1), went through the grocery line at Save-on-Foods last week and left with her baby and her groceries, but without her credit card, which she had inadvertently left in the machine.

A man and woman ahead of me were the first to notice the forgotten credit card, so the man grabbed it and dashed outside, catching up to the woman before she had a chance to leave the parking lot. “Caught her,” he said upon his return.

– Every grocery store has its promotions, and a small one at Save-on features a basket of fruit with a sign saying ‘Free Fruit for Kids.’ In the basket were a bunch of bananas, which I thought was a tremendous idea. Another one of Save-on owner Jimmy Pattison’s customer-service ideas?

– Alex McCuaig rarely steered me wrong when we were part of the editorial staff at the News a few years ago, so I doubt he’d try to lead me astray today.

I don’t think my old colleague was out on Highway 3 with a tape measure in hand, dodging traffic, but he sent me a note recently saying that, in response to the chatter in this space last week about the controversy surrounding the redesigned Division Avenue, that “the lane width for Highway 3 is 3.7 metres (not including shoulder). The ‘narrowed’ lane width for Division Avenue is 3.7 metres.” In essence, if it’s good enough for a high-volume, 100 km/h roadway like Highway 3, it should be well within the space required for slower city traffic.

Coincidentally, 3.7 metres is the approximate height of the tales McCuaig would tell at some of our editorial meetings. (Editor’s note: Can confirm.)

– Short snappers: A number of restaurants in Canada offered free meals, or extra-special specials, to veterans on Remembrance Day. … Look at all the conflict around the world, and threats of other outbreaks, and we in Canada should be so thankful for the peace we enjoy. The service of our veterans deserves to be recognized more often than just one day a year. … Axios.com calls Elon Musk America’s most powerful civilian ever because of the clout he amassed by donating more than $119 million to a super PAC to help elect Donald Trump. … Thank goodness, the Benjamin Moore paint company has finally released its ‘colour of the year.” It’s called ‘cinnamon slate,’ a mixture off plum and brown. OK, I’ll finally be able to sleep at night. … Life Cycles, new works by the Medicine Hat Art Club and the Medicine Hat Potters Association, is on display at the Esplanade until mid-January. The display features some outstanding and unique pottery as well as spectacular and thought-provoking paintings. A reception to kick off the new display was held last Friday at the Esplanade. Other pottery on display is Annette ten Cate’s ‘A Hare-Raising Tale, “a reminder of the human capacity for renewal and growth amid adversity.” … The Weather Network’s forecasts suggest our daytime highs will be in the ‘plus’ range at least through Nov. 25. That’s crazy for southern Alberta.