Talking, Reading, and Writing About Their Generation

Patricia Holmes, GCC
I had been finding it harder and harder to reach my English 101 classes -- who are usually freshman, 18 to 20 years old, straight out of high school. Then I started reading about their generation, commonly called "Generation X" or "20- somethings" or "baby busters." After some research, I found several magazine articles that would serve as the basis for an essay writing assignment on this generational topic. One of the articles was "The New Generation Gap" by Neil Howe and William Strauss.

For the first time, this generation's concerns became real to me, a baby boomer.

After reading and summarizing the assigned articles, the students got upset at some of the things that were being written about their generation--but they also became very interested and involved in the topic. I spent one class period talking about the ideas in Howe and Strauss' article. This subject had tapped into something relevant to the students' lives. Discussing, then arguing, students made their anger clear. Their feelings and resentments flooded out. They agreed that authority figures were not trustworthy. That their parents had gotten a better deal and blown it. That their chances for getting ahead economically were just not there.

For the first time, this generation's concerns became real to me, a baby boomer. I hadn't realized how angry these young people are. After we talked about their frustrations and I began to understand more clearly how they perceived my generation, they became more open -- seeing me as an individual who sincerely wanted to help them and as an "authority figure" who was at least attempting to understand them. The argument essays they produced on this subject were the best ones that they wrote in the semester. By using a topic relevant to students' lives and introducing other viewpoints to balance Howe and Strauss' views, I formed active and creative reading, writing, and discussion environment.

Howe, N. & Strauss W.: "The New Generation Gap". The Atlantic Monthly, December, 1992, pp. 67-87.

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