Note to readers • This is part of a collaborative project between The Salt Lake Tribune and the Highland High School Rambler. Amplify Utah is publishing the work through its ongoing partnership with the Tribune to elevate diverse perspectives in local media through student journalism. Read more about these young Utahns’ experiences here.
In 20 years of teaching at Highland High School, I have been asked the same question as if it were playing on a loop: Isn’t it hard to teach kids today?
I always laugh at the question. Partly because the obvious answer is yes, but not for the reasons the question is being asked. Kids are not worse than they were when I was young. Kids are not more disrespectful. Kids are not lazier.
Kids are exactly what their environment trains them to be. And today’s environment is training them to be afraid, angry, technology dependent and sensitive to criticism. All of these can be debilitating. But they can also be used as fuel. And that is what I am seeing from so many of my students today — people who care deeply about the world and want to do something to make it a better place.
When I was approached about partnering with The Salt Lake Tribune and having my students produce a special section about the class of 2025, I naturally thought about how rewarding this experience could be for my journalism students. They do great work, but The Highland Rambler isn’t exactly a staple in the Utah community (it should be).
As I thought more deeply about it, I realized that this was a chance to present a different view for those who believe that the rising generation is somehow broken or hopeless. I hope you use these student-written articles to see what I see.
Thanks to social media and instant access to unlimited information, I see a generation that cares deeply about the world but is constantly anxious and afraid because they often feel like spectators in a horror movie. With no real way to change the world around them — but painfully aware of the disasters, injustices, conflicts and fears that others experience — it is no surprise that so many admit to being scared about what their future holds.
Kids, especially teenagers, are desperately trying to balance the pressures of academics, social status, future goals and all their extracurriculars while also trying to navigate a digital world that they did not create but are somehow expected to master by the time they reach high school.
All of us have at one point in our lives realized just how dangerous and unforgiving the world can be. Teenagers today are experiencing this disillusionment much earlier, before they have had a chance even to figure themselves out. And it scares them.
Fear, confusion and a desire to retreat are natural consequences. But I also see so many who are using these negative emotions as a springboard to something better. In my time at Highland, no group of students has been as globally aware. No group has been as welcoming and loving of those who are “different” or are “outsiders.” No group has wanted to change the world more quickly. The empathy this generation has for one another is inspiring.
This generation wants to make the world a better place. It is our job to educate and empower them so that changing the world seems just as possible as it is necessary, not to dismiss them as naïve or unrealistic. I ask you to read these articles with an open mind. Learn about students at Highland — representative of all teens from around the world — who are feeling burdened, afraid, but also determined and sincere. Understand their struggles so that you can understand their needs. Feel their goals so that you can provide tools to help them achieve.
Is it hard to teach kids today? Sure. But not because they are broken. They are living in a world, created by others, that they are not yet equipped to navigate. But we can help. This great group of Highland students is giving you the resources to learn a little bit more so that you can help a little bit more.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brandon Winn at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
