School Kids

[w9nyx]

Now that they've dropped the code test, about 5 friends of my 17 year old son want to get their tickets at the next VE session. They all think that Amateur Radio is cool, but learning code got in the way. #Now that the CW test is going away, these kids will get their tickets. They'll end up memorizing the questions and answers, but they will get on the air. #Personally, I liked the code test, and prefer CW as my mode of operation, but today's kids have the need for instant gratification. #Whether instant gratification is good or bad is open to debate, but it's a fact in today's society. #Some of these kids will end up becoming good solid operators, some will fall by the wayside. #It's up to us to accept them, and teach them the right way to operate. #The future of our hobby is with the teenagers, and since code will become a moot point, we better adapt. #At least, maybe our local repeater will be used more often. #I monitor our local repeater and have heard it used exactly 3 times today. #If we don't use the frequencies, we'll end up losing them.

73

Jeff

[ai4ep]

Elmer them all you can...do your best to encourage them to be good operators.

If you can not answer all their questions, refer them to where they can find the answers. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[KC2ESD]

I spoke to my Niece, She wants to get into Ham Radio but wants to pass her Drivers Ed test first.

[N6BOA]

Quote[/b] (w9nyx @ Dec. 18 2006,17:02)]Now that they've dropped the code test, about 5 friends of my 17 year old son want to get their tickets at the next VE session. They all think that Amateur Radio is cool, but learning code got in the way. #Now that the CW test is going away, these kids will get their tickets. They'll end up memorizing the questions and answers, but they will get on the air. #Personally, I liked the code test, and prefer CW as my mode of operation, but today's kids have the need for instant gratification. #Whether instant gratification is good or bad is open to debate, but it's a fact in today's society. #Some of these kids will end up becoming good solid operators, some will fall by the wayside. #It's up to us to accept them, and teach them the right way to operate. #The future of our hobby is with the teenagers, and since code will become a moot point, we better adapt. #At least, maybe our local repeater will be used more often. #I monitor our local repeater and have heard it used exactly 3 times today. #If we don't use the frequencies, we'll end up losing them.

73

Jeff
I am a high school chemistry teacher. My students turn on when I give them commands in code. They don't know what I am telling them but they tune in. A few have become quite curious about Morse Code and two have learned it and have passed element 1, 2 and 3. Prior to me introducing code to them, in the classroom for the fun of it, they weren't aware of ham radio (of the two, one is female). I agree most teens want instant gratification but I also see that, if prompted properly, curiosity will get the better of them. They will ask me to "send their name in code" or to write on the board what i am about to send. I usually put the code alphabet on the board and let them hear one letter at a time. They realy think it is cool.

I passed the 5 wpm (Im an "extra lite" I guess), but I got to about 13 wpm. I am not fast but I find it is fun as do the kids I teach.

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[k9zmd]

Quote[/b] ]Some of these kids will end up becoming good solid operators, some will fall by the wayside. It's up to us to accept them, and teach them the right way to operate.
I agree with you, providing you only meant to say we should give them a chance and teach them the right way to operate. I feel that "acceptance", however, is something they need to earn by demonstrating they are "becoming good solid operators". Those who demonstrate they are Lids (hopefully few of them) will be treated like Lids, and they deserve to fall by the wayside.

Gary, K9ZMD
Palmdale, CA

[KL1ZB]

Quote[/b] (w9nyx @ Dec. 17 2006,18:02)]Now that they've dropped the code test, about 5 friends of my 17 year old son want to get their tickets at the next VE session. They all think that Amateur Radio is cool, but learning code got in the way. Now that the CW test is going away, these kids will get their tickets. They'll end up memorizing the questions and answers, but they will get on the air. Personally, I liked the code test, and prefer CW as my mode of operation, but today's kids have the need for instant gratification. Whether instant gratification is good or bad is open to debate, but it's a fact in today's society. Some of these kids will end up becoming good solid operators, some will fall by the wayside. It's up to us to accept them, and teach them the right way to operate. The future of our hobby is with the teenagers, and since code will become a moot point, we better adapt. At least, maybe our local repeater will be used more often. I monitor our local repeater and have heard it used exactly 3 times today. If we don't use the frequencies, we'll end up losing them.

73

Jeff
Please don't put this whole need for instant gratification thing on the children of today. It was no different five, ten or twenty years ago. Maybe 45 years ago you could say it was a little different but this didn't have as much to do with the children as it did with the adults that raised them.

[w9nyx]

I think you're right about it being the fault of the adults. I also think the instant gratification thing is part of the mass media and advertisers telling kids what they need, and training them to be good little consumers. I'm only 50, but I remember saving money for 2 years to get an FT-101B. Today, kids get I-Pods, cell phones, X-Boxes, and other items with planned obscelescence, only to be discarded when they break or go out of style. My 17 year old is the same way. Frankly, I go nuts over this consumerist behavior, but realize that I'm partly to blame. To combat my lack of discipline when he was in his formative years, I made him get a job when he was 15, and he has to work 20 hours a week. I make him save 50% of his check, and he has to pay his expenses with whatever's left over. Aside from Christmas, school expenses, and birthdays, I don't spend a dime on him. He's had to learn to budget his money. It's just a shame that he didn't learn until age 16, about money and work, what I learned by age 9. I'm just glad though that my kid hasn't been a rebellous type, is a great student, and stays out of trouble. I hope that he will turn out OK. He's planning on upgrading his license at the next VE session. I don't mind that he will memorize the answers, as I am his Elmer, and he can come to me for any practical advice. He knows code and can copy at about 8 WPM, so I'm trying to get him to do CW. He mainly loves VHF, and has even worked the space station, which is something I haven't done yet.

73

Jeff

[N2RJ]

Quote[/b] (w9nyx @ Dec. 18 2006,19:02)]Now that they've dropped the code test, about 5 friends of my 17 year old son want to get their tickets at the next VE session. They all think that Amateur Radio is cool, but learning code got in the way. Now that the CW test is going away, these kids will get their tickets. They'll end up memorizing the questions and answers, but they will get on the air. Personally, I liked the code test, and prefer CW as my mode of operation, but today's kids have the need for instant gratification. Whether instant gratification is good or bad is open to debate, but it's a fact in today's society. Some of these kids will end up becoming good solid operators, some will fall by the wayside. It's up to us to accept them, and teach them the right way to operate. The future of our hobby is with the teenagers, and since code will become a moot point, we better adapt. At least, maybe our local repeater will be used more often. I monitor our local repeater and have heard it used exactly 3 times today. If we don't use the frequencies, we'll end up losing them.

73

Jeff
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but is getting people on the air ASAP more important than letting them learn something?

Code issue aside, I think you're taking the wrong approach by just letting him memorize questions.

My XYL, for example, just memorized the tech pool and got her license. Now I have to teach her everything all over again because she didn't learn anything while getting a license. Imagine if she didn't have a ham husband or anyone else to elmer her what would happen.

I was lucky - one of my teachers in school (9Y4AL) would always bring me technical articles and show me hands on theory, as well as pointing me to good books. I didn't hurry to get on the air. Instead it took me 5 years learning on and off to learn the theory. In the end it stuck with me and served me really well during my ham career.

Seriously, I urge you, at least try to teach some of the theory instead of just memorization of the question pool. Your son will thank you for it.

[w9nyx]

I've been teaching him theory as fast as he can handle it. Since he's a very social kid, theory doesn't matter much to him, and his favorite thing in radio is just making contacts and ragchewing. He has a friend, on the other hand, who's really technically oriented, but has had the cabletow of the code hanging around his neck. Now the code test is going away, this kid will get his ticket, probably end up with a killer station, and will know how to use and fix it. The kids will come around in my opinion. I remember old hams, when I was a kid, predicting the demise of Amateur Radio, especially since we had about 15 Novices in a 2 square mile area(we all had great fun with 40Meter groundwave roundtables at 7WPM)....and they might be SK's, but our hobby is still alive and well.

Everyone who's talked over the air to my kid, KI4QOG, has been really cool and helpful. Nobody has given him any guff for being a NCT, in fact, everyone has been really encouraging to him. I think that hams are much nicer on the air than on some on the internet boards. Frankly, I'll love the influx of high school kids that will appear, especially the friends of my son. My son has made it a mission to get a bunch of his friends licensed, and get a club established at his school. Maybe that will get our local repeaters active again.


I think everything will work out just fine.


73

Jeff