Matt Byers' Show on KCCC Radio AM 9.30

Matt Byers’ Radio Program
12:30 PM the First Wednesday of every month on KCCC 9.30 AM

On Matt’s first program he addressed the issue of teen suicides in Carlsbad. He and his guests, Bob Forrest, Josh Byers, and the infamous Nick Leone and Curtis McKinney from Carlsbad On Line, discussed their past mistakes and foibles. This was an excellent use of airtime, and I hope some teens were able to catch it. If they didn’t and they want to hear what was said, it can be found on http://www.carlsbadonline.com/. I am pleased Nick Jenkins and KCCC gave Matt this air time. Preventing teen suicide is a complicated issue, and Matt has taken it up as a cause. I commend everyone who participated or contributed to this effort.
As a teacher, one thing I find disturbing about junior high students is the amount of adult knowledge they possess, and take for granted. Of course being the old lady that I am, I'm shocked that they talk as openly about sex, about how they feel about their bodies, and how street wise they are. There is a big difference in these students, and the ones I taught in the eighties. I'm fifty-two, really old to them. When I was in junior high a hundred years ago, I didn't know homosexuality existed. As a matter of fact, I was in college before I knew much of anything about gays.
I mention this because it seems part of the problem teenagers have today is having too much information, and not enough knowledge. You might not see the difference, but the kind of knowledge I’m talking about creates a filter (judgment) that helps people decide how information can or should be used. We teach a lot of stuff - that is how they perceive it - as stuff. However, it seems to me, we expect kids to have this filter (judgment), and they don't. Many young people process every event as a major crisis or a major success. They do not seem to be able to operate in the middle range. Maybe home is where they develop judgment, and maybe it isn’t something that can be taught in school. I know this is only part of the problem, and I don’t have a solution. The information is already there and pouring in. My dad would have said, “You can’t put the cat back in the bag.” So as adults who care, we need to try to help young people learn to deal with this flood of information.

Matt’s show was excellent. It was a great way for teens to hear about mistakes other people have made, and lived to laugh about later. We all have made mistakes. My dad also was fond of saying, “You show me a man who never made a mistake, and I’ll bet you that man never did much of anything.” My dad was usually right.