Things were much more respectful when I entered the professoriate. Parents are setting poor examples. High schools are falling down on the job. Religious groups aren't as involved as they should be. Part of the problem, scholars explain, is a crisis of authority in this country that leaves no one above question.
Kids develop a certain contempt for adults as a result.
They're suspicious of all the rules established by adults. At Montana State, the problem grew serious enough that in 1995, the university created a task force to look into disruptive classroom behavior, especially in large lectures. That's where the problem is most egregious, professors say. I'm sitting here with 300 students. Students who choose to take a course show up interested in the subject matter.