Are This Year's Students Really Smarter?
by Craig Grant 9-16-13
The extra three months experience over the summer (splashing water at 10-year-olds at Wet' n 'Wild) means that not only are the juniors more mature than the sophomore versions of themselves, but that the new generation of underclassmen are somehow less intelligent than they were in 2012.
Depending on how good a teacher is at masking his or her own true feelings, one might say that the class of 2014 is either "about as smart as last year, of course (wink)" or "are you kidding? I want to adopt you all before it's too late."
In reality though, one class of students is not (much) smarter than the next.
Still, someone who is more intelligent than the average person disagrees.
According to a U.S. News article, Stanford geneticist, Gerald Crabtree, says that the ancient Greeks were more creative, aware, and intelligent than the students today.
That's just RONG.
Sure, back when seniors were freshmen they were smarter than the current group (just ask one), but how could the freshmen 3000 years ago be smarter than us?
Maybe if more students thought the world was flat and wore togas instead of jeans then our GPAs would be higher than their Gamma Pi Alphas.
Even if today's self-assured students (who never look in the mirror more than 387 times a day or need Scooby Snacks for self-validation) are in denial about declining average intelligence, at least they are physically superior to students 3000 years ago.
Okay, so that ancient Greek guy could get a higher score on the SAT, but could Hercules win in a wrestling match against one of Clark's finest? Could the Spartans from 300 beat the Clark Chargers at football?
Moving back to intellectual contests, could Aristotle really beat the quotes of the day in a poetry contest?
The Greeks invented π, but Americans invented apple pie and stupid "I like π" jokes.
To come full circle (came that close to one right there), as another year of academic and athletic achievement begins, students should try their best and not worry about what older ones have to say.
After all, Plato and Socrates didn't live forever. When are thoughtful questions ever asked to conclude statements these days?
As last years juniors become seniors and freshmen move up the ranks to become sophomores, it is traditional for students to consider themselves cooler, taller, more likely to win in a fight, and smarter than the students succeeding them.
