BEYONDZEE

    Generation Z is as far as we can go in stereotyping generations with alphabet letters. What comes after Z? The edge of the generation beyond zee is 10 years old in 2019. They will be a formidable faction in the presidential election of 2028 which will be decided by millennials.. Beyondzee is to Generation Z what the millennials are to Generation X and what Gen X was to Baby Boomers. We’re just now beginning to understand some of the tendencies of the millennials. Because so many of them (40% according to Johnson and Seton) are racial minorities, they take multiculturalism for granted. Millennials are not on the path of their predecessors. Millenials are headed back to the cities without marriage or driving licenses. 

    The behaviors of Z have begun to manifest themselves as they became a factor in the “blue wave” of the 2016 elections, seemingly concerned with environmental and multicultural issues.

    Beyond Zee is anybody’s guess except for those teachers grades 4 through 6 where behavior Beyond Zee is begining to manifest in contrast to Gen X and preview the future.

    Here’s an example.

    In September of 2019 Mrs. Clark received an email from the school of her fifth grade son Vernon. The mail came from the school librarian Ms Kreckle who was “concerned” about Vernon’s behavior earlier in the week. On that day, Ms. Kreckle had left a lesson for the substitute librarian Ms. Slater who passed on to Ms. Kreckle the concern that Ms. Kreckle wanted to share with Mrs. Clark about Vernon's performance on that assigment that Ms. Slater had activated for the absent Ms Kreckel.

    Ms Slater read several stories relating to empathy, respect,self regard and the unique nature of every human being. At the conclusion of the reading, during which Vernon had been given several “reminders”, Ms Slater passed out a work sheet upon which was a huge blank egg shape representing an expressionless human face. Next to the face were two words and a blank. The two words were I AM and the blank was where the kids were supposed to describe themselves using some of the vocabulary and context from the stories selected by Ms. Kreckel and read by Ms. Slater.

    Most of the kids got right to work but Vernon seemed incapable of the introspection needed for the assignment and responded with behavioral and attention disruptions that seemed to affect the rest of the class and were clearly unacceptable and disrespectful library behavior. Ms Kreckel hoped that Ms Clark would stop in for a “chat”.

    The next day Ms Clark arrived for the conference. Ms Kreckle confessed again that she wasn’t present for the actual class but she had pulled aside Vernon’s work on the assignment. Ms Clark took one look at the work and was “horrified.” 

    During the meeting, Mrs. Clark a generation x member used her phone to take a picture of Vernon’s drawing. 

    Vernon had scribbled lines across the “face” making the egg look like a werewolf with long dangling earrings.He had added shoulders to the  egg. In the space provided for the self description, Vernon had printed I AM...the person that you will never meet because I am FAKE and on a piece of paper.

    Mrs Clark, momentarily overcome with shock and awe, thanked the librarian for her concern and assured Ms. Kreckel that she would discuss the matter with Vernon, which she did.

     In the subsequent “discussion”she reinforced Ms Kreckle’s expectations. Vernon indicated that he understood but some of the blame should go towards his ADD friend who was poking Vernon and making him laugh throughout the lesson. After her conversation with Vernon, Mrs Clark contemplated the photo of his “drawing”.

    Mrs. Clark decided to send the picture to her Gen X sister, Carrie. 

    A few seconds later Carrie texted back

“if the goal was to talk about the  unique qualities of every person, the drawing represents a unique individual. The image represents a non-gender person who has a beard and earrings so he’s got that right and the person is additionally unique because he/she/it is not real, he is FAKE and he exists only on a piece of paper. Now, as far as having to be told to ‘listen and behave’ everyone knows that when there is a substitute or the regular teacher isn’t around, it’s a free for all. They should be thanking Vernon that he didn’t draw a picture of the woman who assigned the project saying “I’m home sick and I had to come up with something to keep you kids busy or I would get in trouble with my supervisor” or he could have drawn a picture of Ms Slater saying “this whole thing wasn’t my idea and my outfit and shoes look like they landed on me when a hurricane struck Dressbarn.”

    Upon receivng the text from her sister, Mrs Clark couldn’t help but laugh and although still concerned with Oliver’s behavior she knew that his picture and the  whole hullabaloo  would become part of family legend.

   I see it as a peek into the future.

   A peek at the alphabet beyond z.

   Here they come