Teachers - are your 6-8 year olds this rude?

[WhaleBlue]

I work in lots of different schools working with small groups of children aged between 6 & 8. More recently I’ve noticed the level of interrupting when I’m speaking, not listening to instructions and generally thinking what they have to say is far more important than what I have to stay really off putting.

I’ve been doing the same role for over 20 years and never had any real issues, but over recent months am becoming more frustrated with this. Is it just my area or is it the same across the UK?

God only knows how their class room teacher copes with about 30 of them at the same time.

This is also something that they have expressed an interest in which their parents are paying for.

In my experience children who’ve been raised in crèches from very young tend to be much more assertive and confident, as they’re used to lots of different adults and had to shout louder then everyone else attention.

Shoddy parenting, screen / device addiction and ultra processed foods is more the issue rather than Covid, in my opinion anyway.

Can't blame covid for everything, jeez people will still blame it in 10 years,
Lazy parents are to blame, parents that let their child do and say as they please because they can't be bothered with the attitude back or can't be bothered teaching their child any respect!!!

I’m a retired teacher of ages 7-8. In my opinion, many teachers fail to take the necessary steps to assertively manage behaviour. Behaviour expectations should be very clear, and every new term should begin with reminders of rules and expectations. They should be modelled and practiced. The bottom line is, kids can’t learn if they aren’t engaged and listening.

I never had a class that I couldn’t manage, and I had some very challenging students over the years. It took quite a bit of work and consistency but the students learned what was expected. I didn’t tolerate students yelling out answers and not following directions—they didn’t and were still happy to be in my class.

Some of my colleagues did an excellent job of managing their class, while others did not. One actually asked not to be assigned any challenging students because she wasn’t good at behaviour management! I’m not bragging about being some kind of super teacher. I read books, went to classes and put the things learned into practice. Anyone can do it!

I retired in 2021, so my experience is quite recent.

Posted too soon.
In addition to my comment above, I think too much reliance on screen time for entertainment and parents being overworked and stressed are contributing factors.

Not when they can’t even listen to basic instructions.

It really doesn't come across that you like working with children that much.

You really jumped to that conclusion based on her post?

"generally thinking what they have to say is far more important than what I have to stay really off putting". They're 6, they DO think what they have to say is more important. I agree it sounds like maybe the OP doesn't like 6 year olds much.

I don’t know any children who have been in crèches. Where do you live?

Yes it’s definitely a thing, a product of covid I believe.

I help at a Brownie group and we are finding exactly the same. Never had a group like it. We are also putting it down to lockdowns. 7/8 year olds are the ones that missed most of reception class and year 1 was interrupted too.

Current practice in EY is a move away from a structure in pre-schools. So fully child led play, no gathering time or group time. The theory is great but…it doesn’t prepare children for a school environment. They have no experience of sitting and listening, taking turns in talking etc.

This is true. Ive had to complain at my DCs preschool because their interpretation of free flow/continuous provision is letting the children run around with zero boundaries or restrictions and my DC was getting hurt constantly due to the boisterousness. Part of preschool should be learning to sit and engage with a task for a few minutes, listen to others, take turns, follow a few simple rules even when it means doing things you like, and occasionally having to join a structured activity that isn't what you'd choose.

It's poor parenting. As a child, I was bollocked for interrupting an adult. Children these days have fewer boundaries put in place for them, and have more of a natural sense of entitlement. The world revolves around them.
And I say this as someone who works with children too. I love it and am desperately fond of them. But the reality can't be denied.

If you work with them then perhaps you can do the bollocking they need for interrupting you? Or maybe that isn’t considered good practice these days for some reason.

I’ve definitely noticed it when I’ve helped at Beavers- they are not able to listen for more than 5 seconds, fidget, shout, kick the walls… I think it’s a combination of lockdown and too much screen time.

It started before covid, I left primary school teaching in October 2019 because of the behaviour and the lack of support from SLT, I was completely burnt out.

The children were lovely but lacked any listening skills or impulse control, they couldn’t sit still for 5 seconds, I know from former colleagues, covid has made it 100 times worse but the problem was already there.

I remember watching a documentary on schooling in different countries some years back and one country in Europe, I can't remember which one, spends the first year teaching the children how to listen. Maybe we need to do that here.

They were babies then . I suspect not so much as it has affected the current year 2s, 3s and 4s.

Yet what annoys me ( and I am in full support of the teacher strikes btw) is that when the schools close for the strikes … the years I’ve mentioned get closed off yet SLT prioritise the youngest year groups .. Nursery , R and Y1 and they accommodate those groups and staff are made available for them.

Their answer is that it affects the youngest ones the most- yet they were the babies during lockdown, the other years really , really felt it. My now 8 year old practically missed two years.. just like all of the other 8 year olds. He missed most of year one and year two.
Doesn’t make sense .

In my role, I've noticed the most negative effects of the pandemic at Reception age and year 4.

Not at the 6-8 age.

And they all interrupt but if reminded regularly, they eventually learn. Just like with anything else.
I think having little patience at this age is pretty normal but it can be cultivated.

My child is year 4. They’re a hard year this cohort. Lots and lots of issues.

Yes there societal and parenting issues at play . There have always been. However, Covid has either created new issues or exacerbated those already there.
The lack of maturity and poor social skills are very visible (even more so) in the older kids as well. A lot of them are behaving like they did in y3 ,for example, which was fairly appropriate at that age but not at 11 . They are nice kids , but so young for their age.

Lol so it's not just the Y4 in our school.
They're a wild bunch who only seem to communicate with each other by shouting over one another. No amount of team games has changed this this year.
I'm hoping they'll settle a bit more next year, the Y5 and 6 teacher (small school so blended classes) won't stand for it, she's strict but fair and a really good teacher imo.

Our current Y4 are tricky.
Our current Y3 are on the whole really lovely and good to teach.
Our current Y2 are downright impossible and have reduced experienced teachers to near tears…

I think ANYONE who interrupts someone else thinks they have something far more important to say than the speaker. Otherwise, why interrupt? Why not ust wait for them to finish speaking and then say it.

You can't keep blaming covid. It was 2 interrupted years. They've had 2 completely normal years since.
I agree with gaming and a lack of attention span and parents who think their kid is THE most important lesson in the world and how dare anyone else tell them other. You only have to venture into a local high school's fb parent page to see it.
'School needs more discipline! Oh wait, but not for my child. '