Kids nowadays aren’t like they were back in the day. With new technology developing and new ways of the world, kids are changing constantly. I’ve taken the time to interview different teachers to get their opinions on the changes they’ve noticed over the years they’ve been teaching. I have asked them a series of questions regarding student behavior and motivation over time. The following teachers I’ve asked were; Mrs. Drumheller, Mrs. Metzger, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. O’Brien, and one teacher who would like to remain anonymous.
The first question I asked them was how many years they’ve been teaching either here or in total. The first teacher I asked replied by saying she has been teaching for 17 years now, Mrs. Metzger has been teaching for 23 years, Mrs. Drumheller has been teaching for 4 years at SGASD and 6 in total, Mrs. O’Brien has been teaching 8 years at the high school and 21 years total, and Mrs. Walker has been teaching for 2 years.
The second question I have asked was “in the years you’ve been teaching, how has student behavior changed?” The anonymous teacher replied by saying, “Student behavior has gotten worse. Students try to be on their phones and have earbuds a lot more often and several are more disrespectful.” Mrs Metzger, though, stated that “because of technology they have gained exposure to many things. Also because of technology, attention spans have decreased.” Similar to these answers Mrs. O’Brien stated, “First year they were spastic but the majority of kids are pretty good, but the few outliers can make it challenging because they can be very disrespectful.” Which is basically what Mrs. Walker said also.
The third question I’ve asked these teachers was what they think the reason for this change in behavior was, and most of their answers were similar. The anonymous teacher said it was because, “Students are now more addicted to technology and some parents allow students on social media unlimited.” Which is very similar to Mrs. Metzger who said, “Technology, kids scrolling through so much it makes reading seem boring.” Mrs. O’Brien said, “Majority is parenting and electronic devices are stifling their social skills and mental health.” These answers were different from Mrs. Drumheller who said this change could be the aftermath of COVID enabling students to forget how to properly act in schools.
The final question I asked was if they think the subject or class a student takes can impact the amount of effort they use? And their reasoning as to why. Every teacher said that depending on the class, students’ amount of effort will vary. Mrs. Drumheller said “People either love or hate ELA; if they hate the class they wouldn’t want to try. The level of the class also impacts how much people try. If it’s too easy they don’t have to try very hard and if it’s too hard they won’t want to try because they think it’s too hard, so it’s important to take the right level classes.” While our anonymous teacher said, “Students tend to work hard in subjects they enjoy or are good at. They also have to be in a course that meets their ability. When students are in classes that are too easy they are not challenged and can be bored and become disinterested. When students are in classes that are above their ability they get frustrated and give up.” These two reasons as to why students’ effort varies depending on the class they take were both very close to the other reasons.
In conclusion, from what I’ve seen and heard, students nowadays are addicted and heavily influenced by technology which can affect student behavior and the amount of effort they put into their work/classes.
