The country is experiencing a major Burnout among teachers at the moment and have been for quite some time. Obviously, COVID has only exacerbated the problems that already existed.
But apart from the extremely low wages, an endless list of additional tasks and the battle against the phone for attention … there is more Existential change among students that makes teachers both disillusioned with their calling, and worried about this younger generation.
Recently, someone who wanted to become a teacher asked other more experienced educators on Reddit, “biggest difference you have noticed in children since you started teaching until now in 2024?“
The answers provide a brutally honest insight into the challenges facing schools today – but there are also some positive aspects.
Below you will find some of the best answers.
1. “The level of curiosity … is almost nonexistent today. When I started in the ’90s, there were always a handful of students in every class who wanted to know, ‘Why?’ but in recent years it’s either, ‘Just tell me the answer’ or ‘Who cares? Just mark it wrong.'”“—u/Pretend_Screen_5207
2. “I can’t show them movies or videos anymore because they’re all too bored. It’s boring because they have Netflix on their phone and can watch whatever they want at any time. There’s nothing special about watching a movie.” “—u/Ferromagnetic fluid
3. “Fine motor skills seem to have declined significantly. I teach instrumental music, and since COVID, children’s ability to figure out where to put their fingers and how to move them has declined significantly.”
“Children’s ability to figure out where to put their fingers and how to move them has declined dramatically since COVID.”Image credit: Canva
—u/eagledog
4. “One big difference I’ve noticed is that it’s disturbingly common for parents to explicitly tell their children that they don’t have to follow school rules. Students are always so smug when they say their mom gave them permission, and then just as angry when they get the appropriate consequence anyway because mom doesn’t make the rules at school… When I was a student, there’s no way that could have happened, and when I started teaching, it didn’t exist. But this kind of attitude is becoming more common every year.”
—u/kaelhawh
5. “Children just seem dumber to me overall. It could be because of the area I teach in, but basic math and reading skills are constantly declining here. We’re constantly lowering the bar for interventions because we don’t have enough places when half the school needs math and reading support.” —u/Baidar85
6. “Grade 22 starts in July. I don’t know if I can put it into words, but little kids have a certain charisma: a mix of silliness, joy, fearlessness, creativity, curiosity, imagination, and sweetness. Occasionally a little naughtiness creeps in, but it’s all very innocent…I’ve taught K-1 for most of my career, and while many little kids still have all of those traits, it’s amazing how many kids don’t. You give them a piece of paper and they say, ‘I don’t know what to draw,’ or ‘I don’t like drawing.’ You put on a silly dance song, and not only do they refuse to get up, they sit there and whine, ‘This is BORING.’ The water during science class turns blue and they say, ‘Never mind.’
“They have just lost … a large, developmentally appropriate part of their childhood. This will have long-term societal consequences.”Image credit: Canva
I think they’re growing up too fast… They’re afraid of looking silly, getting dirty, or drawing attention to themselves by asking a question. They’d rather be on their phones than anything in the world, but since they’re in school, a Chromebook will do. When asked to do something demanding or “boring,” they run to the counselor to complain about their big emotions so they can get access to a screen to “calm down.” My kids are generally between the ages of 5 and 8, and they just… lost a huge, developmentally appropriate part of their childhood. This will have long-term societal impacts.” —u/azemilyann26
7. “I changed schools, so I can only offer a rare opinion: They have become much better in every possible way. Smarter, kinder, more respectful, more confident, less demanding.”—u/swift-tom-hanks
8. “I just finished 34 grades, all elementary and middle school. I used to have one or two kids in a class who didn’t give a damn and literally did nothing. Now it can be a third of the class. It’s mind-boggling. I have several assignments over the course of a term where less than half the class has completed the item and turned it in. Almost every assignment has a few kids writing their names on it and then turning in blank pieces of paper.”
—u/DerbyWearingDude
9. “I’ve been in early childhood education for 10 years now, and was a substitute teacher for about five years before that. What I’ve noticed since COVID is a profound lack of social skills. Not just a lack of curiosity or emotional dysregulation, which I’ve seen in abundance, but also an inability to play, talk, or collaborate with other children. Each child is their own little island, and they have no interest in visiting other islands. “I’ve literally had to teach 5-year-olds how to play simple ‘toss the ball’ games or build a wall of blocks together, whereas before they were making up crazy ‘Calvinball’-type games of their own, drawing anyone under 4 feet into the game without much effort. Now I might as well try to teach them physics in Klingon.”
—u/the_owl_syndicate
10. “Their handwriting is… weirdly large, completely illegible, the letters aren’t formed properly, not within the lines/margins when it’s on loose leaf paper – it looks like a first grader wrote it. And this is middle school… Sometimes I get so frustrated because they don’t understand incredibly basic art concepts and techniques, like copying a similar value/line/angle or whatever, and then realize they can’t even write a letter ‘G ‘right, and it makes sense.”
“Your handwriting looks… like it was written by a first grader. And this is middle school.”Image credit: Canva
—u/_crassula_
11. “The level of maturity has decreased by about three to four years since I started my career in 1990.“—u/Felixsum
12. “As an English teacher for a foreign language, I can tell you something positive: the internet/phones/tablets have made English accessible to EVERYONE. “Even in countries like Egypt, where parents don’t speak any English at all, I find that their children are reaching a great basic level just by playing on their phones. That’s pretty cool! Even young children know quite a lot now.”
—u/Accomplished-War1971
13. “When I work as a substitute teacher, I rarely see students reading books or drawing for fun (even in art class); they mostly use their laptops/phones to listen to videos or play games… But even more puzzling are those who are told to put their devices away and just sit in complete silence, doing nothing but staring at the desk for the entire hour. They don’t do worksheets, they don’t do homework, they don’t draw; nothing.“—u/Seamilk90210
14. “I have been teaching in a middle school for 12 years. Kids’ test scores are worse now than they have ever been. I would say I have about 10-15 middle school students whose test scores are at the 1st to 3rd grade level. Students also lack the ability to be resourceful and persevere. They give up as soon as something becomes too difficult.“
“They give up as soon as something becomes too difficult.”Image credit: Canva
—u/TraditionalSteak687
15. “Early in my career, my mornings on the days before a test and on the day of the test were completely taken up by students seeking extra help. For about a full hour before the first bell rang, I would go around answering questions, and I would have to set an order and group kids who had the same questions together. For the last three years or so? Absolute silence. A kid might come in and ask me a question they didn’t really need to ask and just wanted some reassurance.“—u/enigma7x
…and finally something sweet to remind us that not everything is terrible…
16. “28 years of experience… That’s real kindness. Kids are so much friendlier today than they were when I started in the ’90s. They are so accepting of kids of other races, gender identities (and) intellectual differences like autism. “Accepting” isn’t even a strong enough word. Kids (who) were in such different social circles in the ’90s because of peer pressure are friends today. I’m a straight white guy (who) was in high school in the ’80s. I wish I had been brave enough back then to be as kind as the kids are today. I get a lot of complaints about cell phone addiction or the inability to multiply 5×4 without a calculator, but this is the kindest generation of students I’ve ever taught.” —u/scfoothills
