22 Scary Ways Kids Have Changed According To Teachers
The ones who answered ranged from preschool to fourth-grade teachers. Here are some of the ways they've seen how students today have declined in intelligence or changed behaviorally:
"I've noticed the attention loss amongst children. What people don't realize is that a lot of the social media that's getting to the students is through school devices that they're allowed to bring home, not just the ones that have at home."
"Less consistent physical activity during the COVID lockdown has affected the kids' endurance and energy regulation."
"The majority of my students this year did not possess the fine motor skills needed for writing. Most of them went to different schools before my class, so I do not know how they were taught. While students were able to identify letters and corresponding sounds, they had to strengthen their ability to blend letter sounds together in order to read. Students also had trouble with comprehension. They needed time to learn more about story elements, main ideas, and key details."
"After the pandemic, the kids didn't know how to play with each other because of all the isolation. So in school, they had to be given an opportunity to learn how to play respectfully."
"I hear 7 and 8-year-olds making references and discussing content from right-wing content creators."
"One way I've noticed a decline in literacy amongst students today is that a lot of them need to build vocabulary. This will automatically boost reading, speech, and any other academic scenario."
"A change I've noticed since I've been a teacher is that students are starting the school year below grade level and have difficulty accessing the new EL (Expeditionary Learning) curriculum."
"A basic life skill my students should've known but didn't was how to say common polite courtesies like please and thank you or excuse me."
"I've noticed a decline in penmanship due to the kids' use of the internet and social media."
"Because of the internet and social media, I hear second graders making references I understand, but they're too young to, and it's alarming."
"Post-COVID, students have struggled more with separation when having to leave their parents for school."
"I teach first grade, and I've had students who didn't know basic things they should, like letter and number recognition."
"Kids today are not given enough opportunities to read for enjoyment, and it's affecting their literacy."
"Some basic life skills my preschoolers didn't possess was basic hygiene skills, toileting, cleaning up their own messes, and dressing themselves."
"Some students missed foundational skills during the COVID lockdown, especially in literacy and math."
"There were many children who had not been socialized during the pandemic. These children are easy to spot as it was difficult for them to settle into a classroom of 16 children. They have to learn how to be around big groups of people, share toys, hold conversations, and so much more."
"I teach pre-school, and sometimes I've had students who didn't know their own name."
"I've noticed that students today are more apathetic towards other classmates, teachers, and subjects."
"I teach kindergarten and I've had students who didn't know basic flat shapes, primary colors, numbers 1-10, or how to write their name."
"Since I've been a teacher, I see that there are more children who are addicted to screen time."
"I have kindergarteners who don't know how to wash their hands or blow their nose."
And finally, "Post-COVID, I think kids are used to running things much more often. For example, if they were at home with siblings or guardians who were always working from home, there wasn't a lot of supervision, which has led them to being rude to adults and other classmates."
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