Nowadays a lot of people think that generation gap is problem №1 not
only in family relationships, but in society as a whole. Old people are always
saying that the young are not what they were. The same comment is made from
generation to generation and is always true. However, it has never been truer
than it is today.
Many lessons in our school curriculum are devoted to this
topic, so is the lesson in the 11th form “Problems and Solutions”,
where pupils try to analyze the problems of the eternal conflict between the
generations.
Such lesson is better structured when it takes the form of a
conference . The class is divided into two teams :Parents and Children
.The participants are to prepare interesting facts , stories , quotations, proverbs,
poems and songs before the conference .They understand that people have had the
problem of generation gap for centuries and they also know that it has not been
solved yet, but nevertheless the two teams try to find the ways out of
difficult life situations.
The motto of the conference is NEITHER PARENTS NOR CHILDREN ARE TO
BLAME. This is the idea which should be proved
during hot debates.
The team of parents describe young generation as
“difficult”, ”rude”, ”wild” and “irresponsible “ .They keep thinking that the
representatives of nowadays’ youth are in no way like the heroes from the
past .Elderly people usually compare their childhood and youth with the
present and regard old times as better , always talking about ”the good old
days” .
The young generation thinks that their time is the best.
They say that the young look forward and the old people look backward. This is
inevitable , because different generations take different directions. Adults
always teach the young how to live. They apply old standards to the new way of
life. The past is hanging over them preventing them from appreciating the
things around them now.
The idea of the young generation
is that the adults have lost touch with everything that is important in life.
The team of children says that “parents often talk about the younger generation
as if they didn’t have anything to do with it.” Young people are also not
happy, because sometimes their parents don’t understand problems and things
which are very important in teen’s life. For example: the lifestyle , piercing
,tattoos, relationship with friends and teachers . The poem by Lynett Mong is
just about it:
You say we're hopeless And
sleep in the light
Just got lost in between You don’t know
we’re children
The test-tube babies The Homeless
generation
And Stock Market dreams. Built on computer
screens
You think we're losers, And TV inspiration.
Don't watch the news You don’t know we’re
children
Listen to Radiohead who grew up too
soon.
And wear skater shoes. Got lost on our way
You say we're worthless From the earth to the
moon.
Walk in the streets late at night
“Children” say that youth is
the time when a person is trying to find his place in the world. During this
search he /she comes across different problems which are as important as those
of the adults. The youth face almost the same problems which were acute to the
parents when they were young, but the youth has some advantages. First, they
are young, enthusiastic and active. They are better educated .The young are in
a fearful hurry to grow up. Instead of playing with Barbies and legos they are
interested in love stories on TV . Tweens and teens have got a great desire for
the latest in everything-from jeans with labels so that everyone will know that
they’ve got the latest stuff-to CDs. They are fascinated by computers and spend
hours and hours at their screens or at computer clubs.
On the other hand, nowadays we
can see that the situation is changing. More and more often parents
keep-up-to-date with the changes in our society. The representatives of
“Parents” say that they look at the world with fresh eyes. They also try to
understand teen’s problems and help to solve them instead of scolding, but they
can’t stand their children lying in different situations. The children answer
them with a sense of humor using the poem by H.Glotova.
To lie…or simply not to lie?
This question makes us mad .
And having thought for little
time
We say :”to lie is bad”
It’s bad.OK.But let us see-
Though lie is mean and base,
We pull the mask of decency
On its unfair face.
Two friends are meeting in the
street:
“It’s ages since we met!”
“Oh! how are you?”
“Not bad a bit”
“I’m also fine. All’s great!”
But things are different in fact-
The one has lost his goods,
The other quarreled with dad
And is in dreadful moods.
“I’m fine”
“He’s well.”
“You look so nice!”
“Now busy. Phone next day.”
We very often use these lies
Without sense of shame.
Of course such lies are etiquette,
Small points-cost no penny;
Although there is a proverb that
One trivial lie makes many.
After long debates on the generation gap topic
both teams realize that the only way to solve this problem is to be tolerant
and passionate, to understand others’ points of view and develop communication
skills. The team of Parents do agree with the idea that “a man who is not a Liberal
at sixteen has no heart ; and a man who is not a Conservative at sixty has no
head.”(after Benjamin Disraeli), and the team of Children also agree with the
saying by Aldai Stevenson about “that which seems the high of absurdity in one
generation often becomes the hight of wisdom in another.”
There are many sources about the generation gap
which are interesting and useful for Parents and Children . They can help us to
understand the problem better and find appropriate solutions for it, so the
following Internet addresses http://www.onlinetutoringworld.com/lessonplans/generation-gap.htm
http://www.alllang.ru/node/176
http://uchis-student-mglu.narod.ru/page4.htmlhttp://www.whereincity.com/articles/general/6882.html
can be very
useful while working at the generation gap problem.
V. Iavorciuc
iavorciuc_v_l@mail.ru
Оставьте свой комментарий
Авторизуйтесь, чтобы задавать вопросы.