That Podcast in Hutch: The Secret Lives of Children
Two perspectives - from a teenager and a middle school administrator - about what "kids these days" are up to
I’m not exactly sure when it was that we became somewhat scared of children and education in this country. It seems to me that neither has ever been all that terribly threatening to the whole of our society.
Without children, well, there’s no future. And if there’s not a robust and healthy educational system, the future would be somewhat bleak. I’ve always said that today’s students are tomorrow’s caregivers, engineers, decision makers, leaders, and innovators. I’d rather they knew a thing or two - and maybe more importantly, I’d rather that they knew how to live, work, and learn in a world that is forever changing.
I think the best remedy to fear or uncertainty is to ask questions. So that’s what I’ve done here - by bringing in Hailee Black, who is a senior at Hutchinson High School, and Melissa Evans, who is Assistant Principal at Hutchinson Middle School-Seventh Grade.
Hailee offers some poignant insight into what bothers, worries, and animates teenagers. Of course, like anything, Hailee is an individual and while her frank answers might reveal insight into teenagers’ minds, we’d all do well to remember that every group of people is comprised of individuals who hold a variety of thoughts and ideas.
But I appreciated her willingness to sit down and visit with me - and to be so open and honest. I need to say, too, that I normally don’t edit out much in these episodes. But for Hailee, I did, because I had some concerns about drugs and drug use among teenagers. I think this was an important part of our conversation, but I also don’t want this platform to be a tool that can be used to bring harm or scrutiny to young people.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about the episode with Melissa. We had a fantastic conversation - and we dove into some controversial topics that have been swirling around in education.
One thing we discussed was SEL - or Social and Emotional Learning.
This phrase is ending up on political postcards and advertisements around the country - and it’s being framed as a dangerous indoctrination of children. You’ll learn in this episode that is decidedly is not a thing that should create fear in anyone. You’ll also learn why SEL is in schools - and that answer is going to shock and surprise you.
In this episode, you’re going to learn a lot from a person who knows the reality of what’s happening on the ground. And hopefully you’ll walk away feeling far more informed.
If you have any interest at all in education, students, youth, and what is in store for our futures - I strongly encourage you to listen to these two episodes.
To listen to these conversations, visit Salt City Sound or listen on your favorite podcast player. To find all available platforms, go here and click on That Podcast in Hutch.