by Dr. Kathryn Baganz
Each generation criticizes the next, claiming that “kids these days” are not as resilient, hardworking, determined, intelligent, focused, persistent, strong…and the list of grievances goes on and on. Admittedly, some generationally-driven criticism may simply be nostalgia for the “good ol’ days” wrapped in disdain for change; however, some criticism may be warranted as we see evidence of regression and decay in our world.
Amidst these claims of the increasing inferiority of each new generation, the outcry of deficiencies noted in each new class of incoming students continues to bombard educators in the classroom. Now, add the proverbial post-COVID “learning loss” (that has legitimately hindered some students and has resulted in self-fulfilling prophecies for others), and we see high school teachers wondering how to teach students who have not yet acquired the requisite skills for success in secondary education.
So now what? Shaking our heads, blaming COVID shutdowns, and uttering the phrase, “kids these days,” doesn’t provide us with solutions. Good educators know that if the kids aren’t ready for the content, it becomes OUR responsibility to get them ready.
But how?
Upon review of the shockingly low literacy levels of our incoming freshman class last school year at Lake Country Lutheran (LCL), it was clear that we needed to do something to support literacy development. No matter what may have caused the students to have stunted literacy levels, we needed to find a solution for how to get them ready for high school level content. Taking time to review the drastically low literacy scores, the teachers brainstormed ways to address the problem. The collaborative discussion led to an authentic recognition that literacy is ultimately the responsibility of EVERY teacher, not just the English Language Arts teachers. Science teachers, theology teachers, PE teachers, social studies teachers, math teachers, art teachers, business teachers all agreed that targeted literacy enhancement needed to take place in every classroom. Understanding that literacy skills of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking have always been essential for ALL content areas throughout the curriculum, the teachers in all departments embraced the collaborative responsibility for supporting student literacy development.
This led us to spend time sharing resources, ideas, and specific strategies with one another to identify ways we could intentionally improve student literacy skills. Taking time to discuss how reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking could be more intentionally supported in each subject area was helpful as teachers began to implement new lessons and strategies within their classes. Some teachers did massive overhauls of their course unit plans, and others made minor adjustments to components of certain lessons. The intentional instructional strategies for literacy enhancement, in addition to the teachers’ articulation of the overall rationale for their authentic collaborative efforts to improve student literacy skills, led to incredible improvements in scores and in the development of crucially valuable life-long learning strategies for our students.
Ultimately, we know that “kids these days” are facing an ever-changing world that will continue to devolve in the brokenness of sin, but God’s unchanging love, grace, and mercy will stay the same and equip us to engage in educational ministry no matter what comes next. Let’s give thanks to God for all the Lutheran school teachers out there who continue to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of God’s children in this generation and in the generations to come! We pray for God to continue to provide us with wisdom and discernment as we educate HIS children!
Dr. Kathryn Baganz is the Principal of Lake Country Lutheran High School. She can be reached at kbaganz@lakecountryhs.org.