Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 130
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-1-4758-3188-7 • Hardback • May 2017 • $63.00 • (£48.00)
978-1-4758-3189-4 • Paperback • May 2017 • $33.00 • (£25.00)
978-1-4758-3190-0 • eBook • May 2017 • $31.00 • (£25.00)
Dr. Ernest J. Zarra, III is a life-long educator, is married to his wife Suzi, and has two adult children. Ernie has authored six books, served as a district professional development leader, authored more than a dozen journal articles, and presented at numerous professional education conferences and community civic and church gatherings.
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter One: Gen Z Parents
Characteristics of Gen Z Parents
Three General Types of Gen Z Parents
School Anecdotes
Gen Z Parents as Allies in the Classroom
Forming Meaningful Relationships between Gen Z and Their Parents
Gen Z Parents’ Survey
Summary of the Survey Responses
Advice for Gen Z Parents
Navigating Choices and Consequences with Gen Z Children
Conclusion
Chapter 2: Helping Parents Understand Generational Differences
Generations: Contexts, Categorizations, Characteristics
The Baby Boom Generation
Gen X
Gen Y
Gen Z
Generational Differences
Lighthearted Generational Analogies for Gen Z Parents
Conclusion
Chapter 3: What Makes Gen Z Tick and What Makes Them Ticked?
What makes Gen Z Tick?
Emotional Maturity and Cognitive Development
What Makes Gen Z So Special?
Micro-Aggressions
Mental Filtering
The Scarecrow and the Tin Man
An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide
What Makes Gen Z Ticked?
Gen Z Student Survey
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Gen Z and Their Technology
Gen Z: A Global Generation
Smart Phone Addiction: Is It Real?
What Is So Terrible About Device Addiction?
Attractions and Distractions
Gen Z and Their Zs
New Technologies and Learning
Social Media and Immediate Gratification
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Partnering With Parents for Gen Z Success
Building Community
Partnering with Teachers for Accountability
Government is in the Way
Creating Reliance Creates Alliance
Mentoring Parents to Benefit Gen Z Students
Gen Z is Different from Other Generations
Working with Gen Z Children
Gen Z Family and Technology Self-Reflection Checklist
Conclusion
Notes
About the Author
Helping Parents Understand the Minds and Hearts of Generation Z is a quick and powerful look into the thorny road for many parents as they rear children in a technology-based world. Dr. Zarra exposes some ugly truths of how we got to the point of pacifying children with technology, but more importantly, how we can break free from such.
— Heather Ijames, Parent, Attorney, and Author
Finally! A practical handbook with insights on the dynamics of child-rearing for parents! Where was this when I was raising my (Gen-Y) children? This book is an excellent vehicle for guided discussions on cross or multi-generational child rearing where groups of parents gather, such as church, youth clubs, and other organizational environments outside of home and school.
— Ronald J. Thomason, Parent
Helping Parents Understand the Minds and Hearts of Generation Z is a clear, concise, and cogent handbook not only for parents, but for educators both secular and religious, as well as for counselors and school boards. It’s a thoroughly researched analysis of a rising generation of globally connected, technologically savvy, strategically ambitious, passionately driven, and religiously confused individuals. Dr. Zarra’s passion for “practical teaching students in the classroom and practical parenting children in the home,” is practically refreshing. As a former Pastor and Christian educator, his book would have been required reading for my entire staff, elders and deacons.
— Ron Harvey, M.Div., M.A., former Pastor and Christian Educator in the Southern Baptist Convention for 34 years
Nailed it! Where was Dr. Zarra when I was raising Millennials? This book is a sobering, but earnestly needed dissection of today’s techno-gratified generation, and addresses how it differs from those which have come before. As a parent of three Millennials, Dr. Zarra’s exhaustive research and vast experience, help to make sense out of sometimes backwards worlds faced by competing generations. His sometimes comical, but serious and meticulous comprehension of every generation since the Traditionalists, lends to an underlying message—generations don’t fail—they adapt. This book is definitely a win-win and helps parents to understand their own children better.
— Donna Camera, parent and domestic engineer