KS2 - so dependent and lethargic!

[CeciliaMars]

I teach in a lovely school with lovely kids. But I am finding upper KS2 so dependent and lethargic. They can't follow simple instructions. Or if they can, it takes forever. They just don't listen. I say things simply. Get the kids to repeat them back to me. Have them written on the board. But still bright kids with no additional needs ignore them / don't do them / take ages to do them / do them wrong. I am an experienced teacher with lots of tricks up my sleeves. But I'm feeling increasingly despondent about the lack of independence, resilience, pride. Is this just me?

No, not just you. 😕 Similar here but lower KS2. No "botheredness" about them.

I may have cried tonight.

This is the way it is going, unfortunately. The world has changed immensely. Everything is about sitting in front of a computer / phone, ordering shopping from a computer / phone, with robots gradually taking over all of our chores. Children and also mamy people, don't exercise as much, eat badly and the rest of it. Children are learning that there isn't any need to bother doing anything. Education isn't valued any more. You can put youtube clips online and earn lots of money, without the need for educational achievement. Teaching is becoming almost impossible.

Blimey this is very depressing…

I've been appalled by simple comprehension skills in KS3 in recent weeks. No tenacity, no intellectual curiosity. Just - repeatedly - "Miss, I can't find this answer. " I've begun saying, "I'm not your smart phone; you don't press me to be given the answer. Look for it yourself " Thank God I don't have long to go before retirement.

Ks2 is emotionally draining. So much neediness and needing prompting to do anything other than just lol about. The number of kids we have that just take themselves to sit out of PE because they just don't have the stamina to be active for 25 minutes!

Yes. Yr 6, supposedly a bright class this year. Nope. Have absolutely no curiosity and cannot apply previous learning. Sit blankly staring at you, waiting for you to give them the answer. No retention of previous learning at all. We are only revising year 5 content but they flat out deny seeing the concepts before.