Life is better today but the ‘Yuff’are unfgrateful

[H2O2hair]

As a teacher I am probably a bit biased but maybe more informed.

The generation of today don’t know hardship. Sometimes for the better as there but sometimes I feel not,it does make kids entitled.

I work in a leafy suburb school.

It’s a battle to get kids to shut up to learn. They eventually do but its a battle.

They flout school rules as you watch them ,such as a one way system.

They don’t bring their ownequipment and break yours. Snap rulers, pens and throw them at each other. Glue , glue sticks to
the wall

Bins don’t exist


They ask me why I wear the same dress every week. Lots of personal commenst.


They try to sit on my seat and log onto the computer and search records.

Many more.

Did we do this as kids? I certainly didn’t . Bet half of parents don’t realise the poor listening skills and behaviour of their children.
AIBU

[rainingcatsanddog]

No it hasn’t always been the same - it’s getting much much worse. And it’s nothing to do with social class or money - it’s unfettered access to video games, reality tv and parents wanting to be their kids friends.

So schools and educational policy doesn't come into it? My experience as a parent is that schools accept low level bad behaviour so the good kids will behave up to that threshold. The kids watch the teachers reaction to incidents and learn that Mr A doesn't care if a rubber is chucked around the classroom or Miss B won't tell people off for shouting out the answer.
Teachers also use techniques like sitting badly behaved kids next to the well behaved or rewarding the badly behaved kids for behaviour that others show daily. It creates a "why bother?" culture amongst the well behaved.

[RandomObject]

I'm not a teacher, although my older sister is. I'm not trying to put them down or say that anyone has it easy, just that from my own personal experiences I'm surprised that this is considered as such awful behaviour when I saw much, much worse every day as a teen. Perhaps my own schooling was more unusual than I think. Like I said before, it's odd to me that people are saying everything is going to hell in a handbasket when I knew girls who lost their virginity on the school field during lunchtime at the age of 12...

[tiredgirly]

I think the thing that is different is the constant low level disruption.
We have child centred parenting where we are all accused of damaging kids self esteem, when in reality to entitled little buggers need taking down a peg or 2.
My BIL is a teacher who has no problem with discipline now.If they are being shits he yells at them til they cry. He has them sat at single desks facing the front and working in silence. He uses 'chalk and talk' teaching method .Inspectors don't like it but he gets the best results

[StitchingMoss]

Randomobject, I’m guessing you’re not a teacher?! It’s not fun in any way to deal with constant disrespect and bad behaviour.

And why do so many posters seem hell bent in ignoring all the teachers on here who are saying behaviour has deteriorated massively in recent years? No it hasn’t always been the same - it’s getting much much worse. And it’s nothing to do with social class or money - it’s unfettered access to video games, reality tv and parents wanting to be their kids friends. Let’s stop pretending this stuff isn’t happening .

[FuzzyShadowChatter]

The whole 'kids today are disgraceful' was said to me and my generation, said to my parent's generation, and so on. We literally have ancient Babylonian writings of adults complaining about horrible the next generation is. It's a 'there's nothing new under the sun' situation.

Yeah, some posh areas have entitled kids who are nasty just for nastiness sake or for the power kick. There will also be kids in a posh school whose parents are in masses of debt to be there, who are being abused, who live with food insecurity, who aren't given money and supplies by their parents and are struggling to access services because of their age and parents, who are dealing with a fuck ton and so on and have it all handwaved away because it's a naice area and naice kids somehow can't know hardship.

The school needs to deal with discipline and support the teachers and the teachers need to stop assuming going to a leafy suburb school means anything about a kid's life outside of school.

[RandomObject]

Based on the OPs description - kids being messy, cheeky and pulling pranks. Sorry but it sounds tame to me. When I was at school the type of behaviour described would probably have been considered a good lesson.

[RebelWitchFace]

You must be lacking imagination then @RandomObject .

[RandomObject]

Sorry but I really don't see how high energy kids being a bit disruptive is new, or even that big a deal. That is what kids are like, it's what they have always been like, I would suggest people here are being quite naive or sheltered if they are shocked by it.

[stopitandtidyupp]

Stop howling.It really isn't funny!

Whether it's getting worse or not something needs to change as following the other thread. There is a teacher retainment and recruitment crisis.

So funny that.

[RandomObject]

I'm howling at the idea that kids breaking rulers is some new epidemic and the end of society as we know it - those darn rebels!

I was at school around 15 years ago and kids dealt drugs in the toilets and set each other on fire - and this was a good school in a nice enough suburban location.

[MardyArabella]

We all had bad teachers. Doesn’t mean we were all bad students.

Most teachers are great. Doesn’t mean the bad ones don’t exist.

[Stripybeachbag]

I'm a parent of teens in a good comp.

There are arseholes in every age group. My kids probably have as many stories of bad teachers as you do about bad kids.

It's your kids that are probably causing the problems then.

I genuinely believe that bad teachers do not really exist in the UK - or are very rare. No-one who does not care about their job or not have the ability would stick with it. Your life would be a living hell.

On the other hand, there are many many inexperienced teachers. Kids spot and terrorise them so that they don't get the opportunity to teach. I would guess that those are the teachers you are labelling as "bad".

When these teachers leave who is going to replace them? A teacher with 20 years experience of the curriculum and a salary to match? No...it'll be another nqt if you are lucky. If not an unqualified teacher on 16k who gets to learn on the job.

And the cycle repeats, just getting a little worse each time.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

I have taught in the same school for an embarrassingly long time (have been seeing children of past pupils come through for a fair few years now). The catchment area and general affluence of the area has remained pretty static in that time. The general bar of behaviour in the kids, however, has lowered dramatically, and we are dealing with things I couldn't have even imagined 25 years ago. Quite a lot of that is to do with mental health issues/SEND, but more of it is to do with so-called 'low-level' disruption and a sense of entitlement, aided by parents who will not accept that their child has an attitude problem and will back them to the hilt, even if presented with cast-iron evidence of appalling behaviour.

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

Look, the location of the school means sod all. For every privileged kit at a school in a leafy suburb there is one entitled to pupil premium bussing in from a sink estate further away. “Leafy suburbs” means nothing these days, which was my point further up.

Corythatwas: and are you still a supply teacher? Supply teachers have always suffered at the hands of disruptive kids. At least in secondary schools (some replies to this thread made it clear they’re talking primary only).

But I think you might see some severe differences if you did supply in some secondaries now.

[goingonabearhunt1]

Are kids really so much worse now? I don't remember it being that bad when I was at school (early 2000s) but I always assumed that's because I went to a school in a 'good area' so minimal poverty etc. From what teachers say though (both on here and my friends who are teachers) it seems to have gotten worse generally. I wonder why that is...

[Idontbelieveinthemoon]

The generation of today don’t know hardship. Sometimes for the better as there but sometimes I feel not,it does make kids entitled.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you there. Plenty of the children I've taught have known poverty and hardship. It hasn't made them resilient and hard working. It has made them sad, desperate for kindness, it's left them hungry, it's meant I've had to buy them clothes, winter hats, coats out of my own pocket, it's meant that I keep breakfast cereals in the staff room to ensure everyone gets breakfast, it's meant the difference between school shoes that fit and cold, wet feet on snow days, it's meant the difference between attending school every day or staying home because there's no adult to bring them in, it's meant they're less likely to succeed simply because of their lack of privilege.

If you've worked in a less privileged school, you'll know that the less fortunate children live (statistically) unhappier lives and become (statistically) unhappier adults. Why would you imagine that to be a positive?

[stopitandtidyupp]

I am sure there were bad kids in the past. Though I feel since I have started teaching it has got worse in the last 15 years.

Calling parents often doesn't help they have a talk with them but nothing really changes.

Again not saying all schools this is my experience and by the sounds of it lots of others.
Also agree a good behaviour policy is a big thing.

[corythatwas]

stopitandtidyupp Sat 20-Oct-18 17:43:47


"Would love some posters to try teaching for a week."

was a supply teacher in the early 1980s. Which is why I don't believe the myth of some golden age of well behaved children.

[OhDearGodLookAtThisMess]

You "know if teachers sacked for bemoaning the kids they're meant to be teaching?"

Bollocks you have!

[stopitandtidyupp]

Would love some posters to try teaching for a week.

Disclaimer- They are some wonderful kids out there before everyone gets on their high horse.

[stopitandtidyupp]

RTFT the op had said they had worked in a less privileged school and the kids were less arrogant.
I think you...and the kids, are very privileged, and if you are a teacher, I have known teachers be sacked for bemoaning the kids they are supposed to teach (instead of judge)

Op is hardly complaining on Facebook I doubt, maybe in the staffroom.

[AiryFairyUnicornRainbow]

You say they don't know hardship, but then say you are in a 'leafy suburb'

They probably don't

Try working in an inner city school, where the kids come to school with half a pack of biscuits for lunch cos that is all there is, then have to go home and care for a sick relative or go and work

I think you...and the kids, are very privileged, and if you are a teacher, I have known teachers be sacked for bemoaning the kids they are supposed to teach (instead of judge)

[RebelWitchFace]

Some kids are terribly entitled and arrogant and some get into a meltdown when you pay them a compliment or give them praise. Some kids are very privileged while some wonder where their next meal is coming from. Some kids get waited hand and foot while others look after their parents or younger siblings. Some are lovely at school but rude and difficult at home,or the other way around.

To generalise a whole age group as ungrateful and "have it easy" is a bit daft really.

[rainingcatsanddog]

What happens these days when kids do stuff like break a rubber belonging to the teacher or glue the pen pot to the desk? I'm assuming that apart from a telling off and short after school detention, nothing else. In many of those cases, do school communicate this to parents? (I'm my experience no)

At home, most parents would set consequences for something like gluing a pen pot to the table. Low level bad behaviour isn't dealt with so the stakes get higher and the well behaved kids start behaving less well behaved.

Kids respect the teachers who are in control and know exactly which teachers won't tolerate bollocks.

[rainingcatsanddog]

I'm a parent of teens in a good comp.

There are arseholes in every age group. My kids probably have as many stories of bad teachers as you do about bad kids.

My personal experience is that state schools don't/can't get rid of poor teachers quickly so the class as a whole gets cockier and rowdier until the following year's teacher is stuck with an undisciplined class. Then the crap teacher repeats the pattern the following year with a different class.

You must realize that education policy is to blame here. Schools don't have the money to pay for resources, help for those who need it and staff who haven't taken scraped into teaching by taking numeracy and literacy competency exams multiple times. Dealing with children with problem behaviour is a long tedious process- of course it affects the other kids if they share a learning environment with kids who can kick off with no consequence. (I'm not advocating corporal punishment)

I don't know you OP so these comments are not aimed at you personally but teen bashing is too easy to do. Don't you think they'd rather have a good teacher who was in control of a class and helped them get qualifications and a well paying job? (Your School is leafy so I assume that kids have high aspirations)