Teachers who have watched 'Adolescence'- what are your thoughts?

As a physician, none of it was surprising. A lot of kids are like this now. It's all down to shitty parenting.

Our knowledge-based curriculum has become outdated as knowledge is (literally) at kids fingertips. They KNOW they can just look information up at any time so it makes a sort of mockery of the whole thing. Yes some knowledge memorisation is needed in order to develop skills and for creativity but no longer in 2025 should intelligence be based upon the ability to memorise information. We need more skills in the curriculum. And creativity. Not this obsession with rote learning. Another point is that coursework doesn’t exist anymore so GCSEs are all about the ability to regurgitate facts on exam day. This suits very few. This is seen by the fact that 30% or more of pupils leave school without the basics of 5 passes at gcse.

Of course we need to learn to read and write and to do basic maths but when we carry around a calculator/map/encyclopeadia of literally anything and everything in our pockets what use is learning so many facts and little in the way of skills.
If someone wants to become a doctor or a dentist or a brain surgeon then some memorisation and learning is very useful. But for most people a lot of what is taught at school has become redundant. We are teaching for a world that no longer exists. We have AI for goodness sake!

I agree there is value in learning about history or politics but the issue is teaching it to children who have zero interest and it just turns them off. Learning shouldn’t and doesn’t stop at age 16 or 18. Learning goes on through life it doesn’t all need to be crammed into kids age 4-16/18 and then done.

The main problem is the school system is so rigid now and so singularly academic. Long gone are the days where comprehensives took less academic kids and taught them woodworking, engineering, home economics, textiles, plumbing etc. We need these skills elevated in our schools and not just the academic stuff.

So no I don’t think traditional education is needed any longer. Some bits yes, most of it no. The whole thing needs an overhaul for the 21st century and the digital age.

Has he said why?

As I said my son is a secondary school teacher and said that all teachers should watch adolescence

I never thought anyone would argue that Donald Trump was not a misogynist. Are these acceptable sentiments for a Head of State and is this what you aspire to for your children?

“I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."

I don’t know where to start with “extreme liberalism either”

How can you be an "extreme liberal', extreme liberalism is an oxymoron!

I dont envy a teachers job, i couldnt have the patience reguired, i have six children aged from 40yrs old to 14yrs old,.and times have changed so much parenting children if these ages,.the kids of today have zero respect

I don't think Trump has mysogynistic views, he has a fair number of high flying intelligent able women working with him in his teams. He has also said he judges people on merit. And his policies so far have not been misogynistic.
The issues around abortion were a mess and highly politicised and I hope that the US end up with something along the lines of the UK and most other countries re abortion, but NB the real problems (re RvW) started on Biden's watch.
It is the people who want to get rid of him for other reasons and not necessarily good reasons who are discrediting him. If you want to get a good idea of what is going on with him, watch his press secretary and find out what he has actually said rather than what he has been misquoted on.
It seems he wants to get rid of extreme liberalism (extreme being the operative word) and to be honest it would probably be a positive thing for this to spread to the UK. He isn't far right - his expressed ideas have always been part liberal part traditional, not far right. However, not extreme liberal (eg he supports literacy whereas the extreme liberals support some sort of progressive/no education is needed policy)

Can I just check with you what you mean about it being outdated for the digital age? What difference does it make that we live in a digital age do you think? How is that relevant to learning history, biology, physics, high school standard maths, grammar? Or are you saying that all of this traditional education is now not needed, in your opinion?
And if so, university is also outdated? And to become a teacher, a lawyer, a doctor education is no longer needed? And understanding history, politics, people enough to get to where you want socially is no longer needed?
Genuine questions

another problem is far right wing ideology eg Trump which appears to have misogynistic views and I fear is on the way in this country

40 years ago I was just leaving school and had friends and relations in other schools.
I have no recollection of kids being taken out of schools for holidays. No recollection of kids not wearing the uniform except the odd girl who tried to get past the school gates with makeup on and was promptly handed tissues at the gates to wipe it off.
In my experience there wasn’t any need for so many schools to be so enguard re basic rules because they were rarely broken to the degree we hear of today. Kids just wouldn’t dare So schools had no need to encroach on family life

My school days were much the same as my kids with a lot of rules. After a while you don’t even notice the rules, they are a way of life and such things as polished shoes or opening doors for others ( rather than leaving them to close in someone’s face for example ) becomes the norm. I’m not aware of excessive state school rules so I can’t comment on those though.

The breaking of the social contract means that it is hard enough to conjure up the motivation to learn when you are a good student! This again goes back to wealth inequality, it is the worst it has ever been and working hard to progress doesn't necessarily equate to a job that can afford you your own property, rent, travel anything other than the necessities and living with your parents until you are 30 (or worse).

We have only watched episode 1 and a bit of 2 so no school scenes yet.

so far it really doesn’t depict the young people i know but im not in a city now and my dc are female

I agree with the last point about a large tranche of kids now who don’t understand why they are at school at all- they see it like the park. They can’t fathom why they’re not allowed to just bundle into a toilet together or wander about the place.
In a way I get this- after all, if they might scrape a couple of passes in a couple of subjects if they attend lessons where is that really going to get them now? What hope is there that they can own a property, get a decent steady job?

Not all boys had to sit still with a pen. In the olden days boys that were not academic had other outlets. At my school the massive manly working class deputy head took a carefully chosen group of lads out of French and he taught them how to be builders. How to behave in site certain skills etc. They did loads of jobs around school, they dug a large swimming pool. They loved it (and him). Wouldn’t be allowed now.

Exactly this @howchildrenreallylearn I completely agree. Education in state schools is completely outdated. It isn't working anymore.

Compulsory schooling has only been available for the masses in the UK since the end of the 19th century. And even then it was only for 5-10 year olds.
Prior to that only the tiny minority of the elite upper classes gave their children an ‘education’ with a pen in hand.

If you track education since then ie over the past 130-140 years, not a lot has changed with the curriculum or the system. It has, in my opinion as a teacher, run its course, become totally outdated and unfit for the modern digital age we live in. Unfortunately governments are failing to make it relevant to today’s kids although Labour have just done a review and say they will make changes but I don’t hold my breath.

We have been teaching boys with pen in hand from the days of Shakespeare, why is that not working now? Genuine question

The uniform rules aren’t new. They are simple to follow, and those not following mostly are pushing the limits. Can recall being baffled at students getting detentions etc for uniform violations - pure stupidity, having detention for very wrong socks.
There were hair rules, jewelry rules. It probably become more relaxed.

Uniform compliance is bare minimum standard of behavior.

IMO, many issues, certainly at secondary, is that there is a cohort that doesn’t know why they are there. Do not understand value or purpose of education. School is social - all ur friends are there. Like a play group w lunch. Having fun there priority

OP I have a Y11 boy (at an independent school if it makes any difference). In Y8 he very stupidly, agreed to take part in an organised boxing match in the boys changing rooms one lunchtime. There were flyers, boys placing bets, a video circulating on Snapchat. All the sorts of things schools/teachers really shouldn’t be having to deal with.

Obviously they were caught, I had a phone call from his head of house, I was absolutely furious with him. The head of house explained to me that they had some concerns he’d been cajoled into it - he was very small for his age and it turned out he was part of the ‘warm up’ joke act before the ‘headline event’. All dealt with brilliantly by school, he got a detention which I felt was quite lenient, he obviously complained about it, came up with all sorts of excuses why it wasn’t his fault etc etc. I backed the school completely, he sat the detention, lost his phone for a month. We’ve not had a single behaviour point/detention since.

Both my DC see a completely united front when it comes to school discipline. I know full well kids lie to try and get themselves out of trouble. If I ever did feel school were being ‘unfair’ I’d take it up privately with the teacher without DC knowing I was asking. As far as they know, I will always back school up.

I wasn’t “bashing” anyone. I was talking about the need today to find a reason for everything which is why so many have settled on blaming Andrew Tate and treat this as a new phenomenon when a lot of it is the same behaviour we had to deal with at school.

I was also bullied badly at school and I believe I would be diagnosed with ASD if I were at school today. Today I’m an adult and I’m happy with who I am, and many of my peers who were in similar situations are thriving. My point is we need to endure hardships in order to be able to deal with life.

This thread was created with the intent to discuss the realities of life in schools today but we can’t do that when people kick off when they see something they don’t like.

@GoneOffTheRails another ASD/ADHD bashing post. I think the lack of empathy, understanding and recognition of ASD and ADHD is a problem. They are the most stigmatised these days, with seemingly alot of mumsnetters being so dismissive. I wish my son didn't have ASD, but he does. It's not caused by my parenting, it's something he was born with. It's likely that his dad and/or myself are also on the spectrum but we've got this far in life without taking a test for a diagnosis.
That said I don't think any teenager should just suck it up and expect to have a "horrible time and muddle through". I was incredibly introverted in school, a straight A student who suffered terribly in social situations, crippling anxiety over getting things wrong or speaking in public, not being perfect, had an eating disorder, depression and attempted suicide at 19. I wish someone had realised I was likely ND and struggling to cope instead of expecting me to "muddle through". I am thankful there is alot more awareness these days and more children are being diagnosed with ASD and ADHD younger and therefore able to be supported better in their formative years. As a parent it's your job to advocate what's best for your child and some schools fail to provide the right environment for kids to thrive.
I went to a secondary state school and it was rough. We had a few disruptive kids in our class. You could tell they were from poorer backgrounds. Some were very bright but troubled. Now 20 years later after leaving school, I've discovered that 2 of those "disruptive" kids are dead - from suicide. Another one is a heroine addict. So maybe you ought to think compassionately about some of these kids you are expecting to "muddle through" because some just don't make it. Whether it's the school failing them or their parents or both, I think kids should be supported as much as possible from all sides.

My goodness, have you been on Mumsnet for a very long time as I don't recognise your name. It is almost like a sensationalist news reporter is responding to me- extracting my points with no reference to the original context so I'll start again- I responded in support of another poster detailing the family wealth paying private school fees. This is therefore a manifestation of the asset wealth inequality that sadly exists in British society and it's getting worse. There is definitely a link between isolated young men seeking validation from the manosphere ideology and people having less civic duty than they used to have, including, even as a fairly wealthy person not wanting this asset and wealth disparity. It needs to be addressed, owning endless properties whilst some families have a room to share and actively profiteering off that inequality is distasteful IMO. It is the same with Air BNBs ruining the City that I live in, sitting empty. I have family in Denmark and you have to have year around residency and lived in the country for five years before you could buy the property. Where I am these properties are foreign investment portfolios and it has changed the character of the city. It exacerbates the housing problems and is immoral considering they are empty 60% of the time!

So are you saying you know the wealth inequality is vast but never mind as it doesn't impact you? I don't get how you don't see how this attitude is part of the problem!