There is probably no generation in human history that has not become the “older” generation without looking upon the “younger” generation and wondering what went wrong. Times change and with them come changes in attitudes and behavior that serve to infuriate those who have grown older and feel that they have finally found a tranquil way of life. “The younger generation today...” is often the beginning of long discussions on the fading away of the ways of the past. In the Kingdom today, nevertheless, there does seem to be reason to worry about the younger generation, not least because the younger generation makes up such a large portion of the Kingdom's population. Not long ago, public attention was focused on the antics of young men as they engaged in outrageously dangerous activities behind the wheels of cars they barely controlled. With what has been described as a “riot” at a girls' school in Makkah, which resulted in the headmistress being locked up in a classroom and prison guards being called to free her, current focus will now be put on young women in the Kingdom. The details of the incident have yet to fully emerge so it is difficult to draw too many solid conclusions but it is safe to say that something has gone awry in the way that children are being raised today. This is the second significant disturbance at a girls' school since the beginning of the year, making it clear that simply pointing fingers will do nothing to resolve the problem. Children, especially adolescents, are not growing up in the same world that their parents experienced. The Kingdom has long prided itself on its conservatism but such conservatism generally relies on keeping the outside world at bay. Today's technology makes that impossible and that fact must be faced, especially in the Kingdom's educational institutions. Children have different expectations for themselves than what existed even 30 years ago. This does not give carte blanche to unruly behavior but it does create a necessity to develop an atmosphere at school that takes into account the real world in which students now live. Overly strict rules will only exacerbate a natural adolescent need for rebellion. And while this rebellion is in some ways designed to test the world's limits and the world must, indeed, react accordingly, it is of no use to create a reality behind school walls that does not incorporate the healthy changes that have taken place in society and the world. Raising children is a complex process, both at home and at school. But the children must be respected at both places. Not catered to, but respected. __
