As I sat down at the keyboard last week I started working on a new article. It has been almost a month since I attended FEEcon, the Foundation for Economic Education annual convention, in Atlanta. The experience left me with the mountaintop high. I was able to network with some of the greatest minds in Economics, Entrepreneurship and Education. In addition, I was able to attend several great sessions and keynotes with tons of great ideas. So coming home I needed a few weeks to decompress!
As I kicked around a number of ideas, I settled on a piece after attending my wife's high school reunion. While sitting through the rounds of old friends coming by and updating us on what is going on in their life, I had an encounter with an old friend of mine. In our conversation, I informed him that I was teaching high school social studies. I was met with a response that is fairly typical when I tell people I teach; "Man it must be hard to deal with kids these days." They usually go on from there to tell you about how different things are today and how children have a lack of respect and drive. In some ways, they are correct; it is hard, but through no fault of the student.
So I decided to defend the kids! First I wanted to draw out the differences between the various "generations" that get kicked around. Ask people what constitutes a "millennial" and your bound to get a variety of answers. Few understand the differences between Generation X, Y, and Z. In addition to providing a compare and contrast, I wanted the main focus to be on just how much good and potential there is with those in Generation Z (ages 14-24). As I dug in to my research, my world was rocked as I came across a unique story.
Natalie Hampton was 13 years old when she experienced bullying that was so brutal, she was left questioning her purpose in life. After being accepted into a prestigious all girls school she thought she would be in a great learning environment. Little did she know, she would be transferring out to escape the everyday abuse. As she settled in to her new school, she decided to take action to help those who were being excluded socially at school. At age 16, Natalie used her talent to create the Sit With Us app. This app would allow kids to reach out to one another if they were sitting alone at lunch. The inclusive nature of the app allowed for positive connections.
As I learned more and more about this story, I was just floored by how much fortitude this young lady demonstrated. Moreover, she was able to power through all the negative in her life to create something beautiful! Why are these stories not being told? Why is this not on the front page of major news outlets? Instead, these are relegated to "feel good" stories that are buried behind all the negativity in the world.
Kudos to Natalie! She has delivered her message in a powerful TEDxTeen Talk (found below), is still active as CEO of Sit With Us, Inc and is enrolled as a student at Stanford University. Yeah, dealing with kids is hard, but it's made easier when I learn of stories like Natalie's.
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