One of the reminders of a trip to visit family in Europe eight years ago was a repeated phrase from the Underground, ‘please mind the gap’.
It is a phrase that can apply to many aspects of life (we even heard a sermon on the topic) but it has been relevant for me as I attempt to cross the most challenging of gaps, the ‘generation gap’.
How often do you notice the generation gap? For some of us, perhaps not often. For those of us who work and live with children and young people, perhaps more often than we would like – a not so subtle reminder of our aging.
“One of the remarkable things about the generation gap is that you can be in the same conversation as the young person and emerge with some limited or quite different understandings.”
Sometimes the generational gap hits me in some quite surprising and unexpected ways. Recently, I have learnt a whole new vocabulary including words like ‘scooch’ (Australian English translation: ‘slide’), ‘eshay’ (a type of ruffian), and an array of American slang that my children seem to know and I don’t. This always inspires me to educate my children in some much older Australian slang and rhyming slang (never as appreciated as I would like it to be).
One of the remarkable things about the generation gap is that you can be in the same conversation as the young person and emerge with some limited or quite different understandings. In fact, I think it is part of the thrill in adopting or adapting words and language, to separate the young and hip from the aged and less hip. It was one of our younger staff members who reminded me of my age last week when, in response to a Year 7 competition that tried to name my top 5 songs, she asked “next time could we have a younger staff member choose the songs?”.
I was left reflecting on the generation gap that not only divides us in musical taste, but can sometimes lead to communication challenges if not absolute miscommunication. This also has a very serious side to it as we as parents and educators seek to understand the rapidly changing technological environment that our children are living in.
This week, parents and our secondary students heard from Melinda Tankard Reist and Daniel Principe as they sought to bring perspective to some of the challenges of our social-media obsessed age. In short, there is much to be wary of and some important ways that we need to be supporting and preparing our young people for a world that looks very different to our childhoods. Seeking to cross the generational gap to understand our children’s world, to help them make sense of it and make discerning choices is an important part of our role as educators and parents.
There are those who would seek to capture our children’s hearts and minds and lead them into habits that expose them to harm. Supporting our young people means crossing the gap, engaging with the things that they see and are interested in, gently guiding them in ‘paths of righteousness’ and teaching good and accountable decision-making. The apostle Paul strikes a note of hopefulness when he writes that “no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful” (1 Cor 10:13). A reminder that the sense of hope and purpose found in Jesus is the eternal truth that crosses generation gaps and helps to build a family and community of faith, hope and love.
Scott Ambrose - Principal