Kids These Days!

I think there should be a twelve step program for adolescents so they can recover from themselves.  Can you imagine how that would go?  “Hi, I’m Jessica and I’m an adolescent.”  And the group would say in unison, “Whatever.”  I hear almost daily that this moment is boring, that weekends are boring, that I’m boring.  One student comes into class, sits down, and before taking out her supplies, or even taking a breath says, “I’m bored.”  I have a solution but she doesn’t want to hear it because that, too, is boring. 

Walking down the halls of a high school and hanging with kids for eight hours a day, I learn a new language.  I learn that ass is a suffix as in boringass class.  It’s thrown in everywhere and isn’t necessarily negative.  Get this one: “She’s a niceass teacher.”  I wonder if the suffix can be used before the noun: “A bigass ass.”  I also learn that the f-word has so many meanings that no one really knows what it means.  I’ve heard, for instance: “I took a fucking shower this morning.”  I wonder what happened in that shower.

I know I’ll sound like my mom here, but I can’t help it.  The music these days isn’t even music.  Kids use a computer program to make “beats” in which there is no melody and they think they’re musicians.  Like my friend pointed out, it’s instant.  It takes no diligence or patience, which is the sign of our instant gratification mentality today.  “Give it to me now and I’ll throw it away in a few minutes when I’m bored with it because it was so easy to get.”  I suppose boringass beats are better than the previous decade’s lyrics like “I wanna lick lick lick lick lick you from your head to your toe.”  That’s just a whole lot of slobber there.  What ever happened to the sweet songs of the 70’s: “Be sure to wear flowers in your hair,” and  “He ain’t heavy; he’s my brother?”

Just when I start to lose all hope for the future of our country, some lovely voices sing out through the barrage of boringass beats with patience and gratitude and inventiveness. 

I was privileged to chaperone a group of students on a field trip to watch a fantastic play performed by teenagers at the Albany Park Theater Project.  It was creatively conceived and performances were compelling.  While we sat waiting for the play to start, instead of being bored, the students initiated a game of I spy with my little eye.  We had great fun trying to outsmart each other.  The play blew students away, and we were all moved to tears.

This past week at school the Peace Club sponsored the Week of Peace.  A couple of girls and I gave out little thank you notes to everyone coming in the building and told them to write someone a note.  “It’s free!” we told them.  A few kids threw them on the floor and others said, “I don’t want to thank anyone.  What for?”  But most students took the cards with surprise and said, “Thank you,” like they had been handed an ice cream cone. Some asked for more.  Teachers wrote and received little notes, too.  One teacher pulled me aside late in the day and said how touched he was by a thank you note a student had written him.  The student thanked him for being a good teacher and added that he would make a great father for some kid.  Another student donated her time and creativity by making and selling her stunning peace jewelry.  Her efforts alone earned $600 dollars to be given to our sister school in Tanzania for the construction of a girls’ dormitory, a way to keep the girls in safe and school.

At our peace rally yesterday, hard working, diligent singers and guitar players gave us the sweet songs of the past.  The chorus teacher, who has modeled endless effort and patience, led students in Love Is All You Need and Imagine. 

Later in the afternoon, at an all-city peace rally, one of our students who frequently uses the f-word indefinably along with that oldie but goodie, douche bag, gave a short speech in front of about 1,000 CPS and DePaul students.  She chose more defining words for her speech, telling students about our morning peace rally where we talked about working together as one.  She said something like, “But this is just the beginning.  We have to keep on working together.”

Kids these days!  It’s easy to get irritated by the empty thank you notes on the floor, or the over use of crude words.  But life is so much more joyful when I focus on the sweet voices, the sincere thanks, the creativity of students and their messages that show us adults that they are learning the important things.  My friends, good news: there is hope.

Kids these days may not have the patience to bake bread, and you may rather have your bread machine do it, but I love the act of kneading.  You can try watching dough rise, but you won’t see it by staring.  You have to do what you can, leave it alone, and let it do its thing.  When you look in on it later, the growth will surprise you. 

Whole Grain Seeded Bread

1 ½ T. active dry yeast

1 ¼ c. water, warm temperature

¼ c. sunflower oil

1 ¼ T. salt

1/3 c. sugar

6 T. millet

4 T. cracked wheat, cooked in water for 10 minutes, then drained

4 T. poppy seeds

¼ c. walnut pieces

1 ½ c. bread flower

½ c. wheat bran

¼ c. millet flour

¼ c. rolled oats

¼ c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. brown rice flour

¼ c. of corn meal

3 heaping T. wheat gluten

In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and ½ c. of warm water.  Combine the remaining water, oil, salt, millet, cracked wheat, seeds and walnuts.  Let it sit for ten minutes.  Add the yeast, water and sugar mixture and stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients. Knead dough with floured hands on a floured surface for about ten minutes.  Place dough in an oiled bowl in a warm spot, maybe in the sun or in the oven with the light on for one hour until it’s hopefully doubled in size.  Punch it down.  That’s such a fun moment.  Turn the dough and let it rest, covered for 20 minutes.  Shape the dough into two small loaves, cover and let it rise in a warm spot again until doubled with hope.  Bake in a warm oven, 190 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Check after 25 minutes for a golden brown crust. 

This will take you most of the day so start early.  Get your dipping oil, cheese and wine ready.  The future looks good.