To Followers of the "TikTok School Challenge": Dude, That's All You Got?

So, before you pull out your torches and pitchforks, and before I get to what I am going to do, let me demonstrate clearly what I am not doing;

• Attacking Gen Z’ers for wanting to have a voice.
• Attacking the TikTok app.
• Attacking teachers.
• Attacking education staff, administrators, and leadership (at the campus level).

So, Gen Z….the back end of Gen Z really (the front end of Gen Z are in their mid 20s)...

...why? Like, seriously, why?

For those of you outside of Gen Z, particularly those raising Gen Z’ers, if you liked my previous content, first thank you. Second, could you bring your Gen Z student here? We need to talk, and I want the parent in the room with them, obviously.

I’m sure you guys are confused at this point. Well, let’s bring some perspective into the matter. A recent TikTok challenge has charged young people to do rowdy and unruly things to their schools. There’s a lot to this; it’s not just vandalism of school property, which is bad enough.

Seriously? Like, out of all the stuff, some kids your age picked this. And look, if you are a high schooler and want no part of this, I’m not talking to you...well, sort of. Because parts of my message today will still apply.

Because let me revisit my initial question: Why?

Many people probably have answers to this, but this goes back to my first article that threw the entire system under the (school) bus. And then maybe part of it has to do with the metrics surrounding classes. And then maybe still, there is the Covid element of things. There was the prospect of the inequity in the “opportunity index” growing greater, because of inequitable learning conditions. As much as 20% of the school year was lost in some places due to Covid. And I would ask the question, “What did they really lose?”

As teachers show more and more burnout from the Covid protocols, and continue to be some of the least protected workers in the world, the quality of education dropped, and in my cases, it was pretty low to begin with. And my heart goes out to teachers. As an armchair educator and relatively new bonus parent, I see this from multiple perspectives. I am also sure my song is not “unique”. Still, allow me to put the “remix” on this album.

What I have noticed from both my bonus daughter’s 8th grade remote learning in one state, and now her 9th grade in-person learning in another, is that she gets a lot of assignments. Not a lot of rigor, but a lot of assignments. And it’s not just her who was frustrated. She told me about dozens of her classmates (and sometimes all) who were simply tired of being bombarded with work. In fact, she completed almost 50 assignments in the last three weeks of school, including five class projects, to be promoted to 9th grade. In contrast, my bonus son, who was remote learning in one’s state curriculum as a 5th grader last year, and is now in-person as a 6th grader in a new system, almost never receives homework. These two young people are three years apart, and yet the chasm between their workloads is astronomical. Have we lost rigor? Have we lost being relational? Are teachers over it? Probably.

So let me ask this question...if all the adults involved are over it, why did no one think the kids would be over it? Why didn't we make provision for this? Why did we expect them to just obey? This TikTok challenge wasn’t a surprise; it (or something like it) was inevitable. And let me say this, in a lot of ways, I'm right there with you in the frustration.

I believe we put so much on schools to occupy our kids, they are doing just that: occupying our kids. Sure there are institutions that provide elite levels of rigor, like many of the “college prep” high schools out there, but even those systems are taxed. We’ve lost our sense of community, and in-turn, the kids have lost their way, losing value in their education and the rigor they’ve been given. And it's not out of necessity that they act out; it's out of boredom.

And again, if this is not you, great. Talk to your friends and make sure it’s none of them, either.

You may not know your own power.

Most adults don't see large groups of children every day; it's natural we discount their power. But children have done some amazing things. Change very rarely comes from those who are secure and established. And high schoolers are right in that age range where, as they change, they want to see change. And they have been involved in a lot of great change. The anti-apartheid movement, Civil Rights Movement, LGBTQ rights...these don't happen without the efforts of teenagers and young adults. And let's not even begin on the numerous school walkouts that have helped shape milestones in American history.

So when I look at these challenges, I have to ask you (or your peers): Is this it? The response does not match the anger. You have more resources than we ever had; more opportunities to be heard. TikTok is a prime example of this; why aren't you using TikTok to express your frustration more directly and effectively than this?! Y’all should be fighting for your future, and maybe you ain’t got it. Maybe this is the expression medium they you have chosen. And perhaps you shouldn’t have to have it. We the adults should be your advocates. Having seen what young people are capable of, this isn’t enough. To the adults watching this, instead of creating a culture of compliance and obedience, let’s partner with our young people to protect their future. That’s our job, right?