Why “The Kids These Days” Are Exactly What the World Needs

I'm a troublemaker student turned teacher, and I'm sharing the truth about today’s youth, and why we should believe in their future.

This past Friday, I gave the Keynote speech to my school’s graduating 8th-grade class.

It was a privilege to speak to them before they left school for summer break, then transitioned to becoming high school students.

All year long, I was proud of their effort, motivated by their commitment to what was right, and inspired to be better by their example to be their best.

So, when it came to giving this speech, I wanted to leave everyone with the final message that the kids these days are doing alright…

The piece below is taken from the final of three points I made during my speech:

• The first was “Hakuna Matata” no worries.

• The second is “Change is good,” and to embrace it.

• And third, “The kids these days,” a phrase I hate, and they knew it.

Below, you will read what I was trying to convey to all the adults in the room: That we need to stop viewing children as inferior or somehow broken or “less than”.

These kids are incredible human beings, many of whom handle their emotions better than the adults who criticize them, and we should recognize that in them.

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You’ve heard the phrase before.

“Kids these days are lazy.”

“Kids these days don’t care.”

“Kids these days are soft.”

Let me be clear: Every adult saying this is wrong.

I’ve spent the last year teaching, coaching, and watching this next generation come of age, and I’m here to say what most adults don’t:

The kids these days are alright.

These young men and women are growing up in a world with more noise, pressure, distraction, and surveillance than any of us ever had to face; and still, they show up.

They grow.

They get knocked down, but they get back up.

They laugh, cry, compete, learn, and overcome.

That’s not weakness, that’s a strength.

When I was in 8th grade, I wasn’t standing at a podium giving speeches. I wasn’t a star student. I was the kid who barely showed up; Teachers would shake their heads when they saw my name on their roster. I wasn’t motivated, didn’t care about school, and honestly, I didn’t care about myself.

But here’s what I’ve learned since then, and what every young person needs to hear right now:

Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re stuck.

Your reputation today doesn’t have to define who you become tomorrow.

You don’t need to be perfect; you need to be present and relentless. You need to be intentional, and above all, you need to believe that this next chapter is yours to write.

That’s what high school is.

That’s what life is.

A clean slate.

A fresh start.

A chance to choose your path, not repeat someone else’s.

So, if you’re the kid who’s always late, who never turns in homework, who feels like they’re “just average,” or “behind,” or “not enough” I’ve got news for you:

You are not behind.

You are not broken.

You are not less than.

You are becoming.

And that’s a powerful place to be.

I’ve watched this class closely.

I’ve seen them take responsibility for their mistakes, bounce back from poor grades, support one another, challenge each other, grow, compete, and win.

These aren’t “just kids…”

They’re future leaders, artists, builders, mechanics, teachers, soldiers, parents, and the kind of people who make a country better.

The world doesn’t need you to be perfect.

It needs you to care.

To question.

To lead with curiosity.

To laugh, to learn, and to lift others up along the way.

So, to every 8th grader stepping into high school, carry this with you:

Your story isn’t written yet.

You hold the pen.

Write something worth reading.

Live something worth remembering.

And when someone says, “Kids these days…” let your life be the reason they stop mid-sentence… smile… and finish with “…are exactly what this world needs.”

Stay relentless,

- Zac Small

PS: If you want more from TDDN on public education, read this: