Teachers Are Sharing The Major Differences Between Teaching Kids Now Vs. "Back Then," And It's A Mix Of Wild And Concerning

Teachers who've been in the field for a long time have had the chance to usher in generations of students through education — whether it's Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, or Gen A. Recently, we asked the long-time teachers of the BuzzFeed Community to share the differences they've noticed between teaching kids now versus "back in the day," and some of the responses are...a bit wild and concerning:

1."I've been a teacher for 25 years. Nowadays, parents take everything their kid says as gospel. I have 150 children coming through my door each day. I do not have the time to make things up about your child's behavior, especially when I only get a 25-minute plan three days a week."

2."There are certainly differences between students from the beginning of my teacher career and those I'm teaching now. However, among the most significant changes are the learning demands, the pace of instruction, and the pressure to perform. Often, expectations aren't even developmentally appropriate for kids at their respective ages. My district begins administering standardized academic assessments in early childhood programs (literally 3- and 4-year-olds being tested and evaluated for reading and math skills). It's no wonder there's such a dramatic increase in childhood anxiety — they don't even have a chance to be kids, and it's really sad."

—crispyaardvark892

3."Many students have Fs and read four grades below their grade level. It's a nightmare."

4."I am back in schools as a sub after 10 years of retirement. Kids haven't changed; they still act as idiotic as we did. Though attention spans are noticeably shorter, by high school, these young people have an awareness about themselves that we never had to worry about as teens. 'Stranger danger,' monthly active shooter drills, social media, and TV and media rarely ever being G-rated have had an effect on this age group. On the plus side, I see the littles being more accepting of each other. They don't see skin color, language barriers are overcome, and they think nothing of their more unique friends."

—Vi, 65

5."Showing a movie back in the day was considered a reward. Today, kids can't sit through a movie and view it as some form of torture."

6."This is my 35th year teaching high school. Current students are more 'world-minded' and see the interconnection between themselves, their world, and the larger world. This is largely due to the internet, social media, and even gaming. I'm impressed by many of the students I teach. While it could be argued that more students have bigger behavioral problems in schools, I'm not convinced that young people overall have changed. Perhaps we see more behavior problems in schools because schools work SO much harder to retain students. Schools with low graduation rates face penalities now. Many students who, back in the day, would have been thrown out or counseled out of school are now kept in it. This has positive and negative impacts."

"Should schools work to support students and motivate them to stay in school? Yes. Some students who have rough starts are able to make changes that allow them to graduate and become productive citizens. Should schools work to keep students who repeatedly show that they have absolutely no interest in being in school or who are dangerous or violent to others? No. With the exception of extreme violence, it's hard to know what that tipping point is with some students. Sometimes, schools get it right, and the students and society benefit. Unfortunately, sometimes we get it wrong."

—Teri, 57, Wyoming

7."I'm a 36-year teacher who started in 1988. Pre-smart phones and laptops, students weren't constantly fact-checking me. Now, before I even finish a sentence, kids will say, 'He's right,' or 'That's cap.' It's VERY annoying."

8."I've been teaching for almost 30 years. I love teaching and work hard to show my students that I care about them while holding my expectations high. I don't notice many major behavioral issues in my students; they generally seem to like me. But if they don't, I don't lose sleep over it because my goal isn't to be their friend but to help them learn. I just keep showing them that even if I don't matter to them, they matter to me and the school community. However, my biggest pet peeve these days is the effects of instant gratification on the learning process. There's been a huge shift in the last 10 years from 'I can figure this out' to 'Just give me the answer.' Students want to be fed their education in an entertaining way and for it to just magically stick without having to put in any muscle."

"Case in point, the other day, they came up with questions to research about marine mammals. Then, they had to go to online encyclopedias and find the answers to their questions. Even my smartest students would glance at the screen for a minute when it came up, and if they didn’t IMMEDIATELY see the answer, they quit. They wouldn’t even SCROLL DOWN. They’d just say, 'It’s too hard. It doesn’t have what I’m looking for.' Um, yeah, it does, but you have to actually LOOK. It’s super frustrating."

—iteach

9."Even students in middle school cannot read at the level they're supposed to."

10."When I started teaching in the late '70s, the naughtiest things kids did was maybe chew gum in school or pass notes. Now, the kids are throwing furniture across the room, hitting other students in the head with chairs, or destroying bulletin boards in the hall. Mind you, I teach at an elementary school! Back then, when I taught the kids how to play a game, they played by the rules and had fun. Now, most kids try to find a way to cheat, then throw tantrums about losing. Back in the '70s and '80s, we spent most of our days teaching. Now, we spend most of our days dealing with behaviors and emotions."

—Candy, 67, New York

11."Kids are a lot more bold nowadays, and I say that in a positive light. They are a lot more confident in how they present themselves and their ideas, and they are keen on socializing with others and not being afraid to stick up for themselves, which are respectable traits that I didn't see much of in the past. The only thing that I'm really concerned about is AI. AI is ruining a lot in the classroom."

12."The way kids talk to adults nowadays is atrocious. I've had students yell directly in my face, tell me no over simple tasks, and treat the adults like they're their own personal butlers. Maybe it's an independent school thing, but the entitlement is nauseating."

—Lulu, 42, Connecticut

13."I've been teaching since 2005 in grades K–2. The thing that scares me the most about this current generation of students is that they aren't curious. My kids used to pepper me with questions about all kinds of things. They would get really excited when we switched to learning a new topic or when they learned a new word. Now, kids just give me blank stares. Half the time, when I ask them to repeat something I said, they can't. You teach them a phonics concept or a problem-solving strategy and ask them to apply it, and they look at you like you're from another universe. It got so bad with my current class of second graders that around the first week of October, I sat them all down and asked them what I could do to make learning fun and exciting. You know what they said? They said they wanted to be on their tablets. And it's not really surprising."

14."Kids used to have respect for authority and manners — and they were the norm, not just the exception. You rarely had to raise your voice. Just a look was enough to get the point across. Now, you can’t even get their attention. Parents used to believe the teacher over the child, and the children (no matter the grade) were expected to toe the line. Now, parents ignore teachers and defend their children no matter how offensive their behavior. And yet, we are expected to teach more than we used to and get higher scores with less help and participation from students and parents than ever before. Teaching was different in the '80, that's for sure."

—Wendy, Alaska

15."Kids today think they know it all and do not value the learning process. Why should they? The internet is at their fingertips. There’s little value in creating opinions by researching facts to grow and change one’s mind. As soon as kids see what they want to see, they run with it. It seems everyone is an 'expert' now. Prior to the rise of phones in schools, kids were better held accountable to each other and their actions in face-to-face interactions. Life demands weren’t pulling family time apart, so parents were more engaged and willing to discuss school issues. Now, parents want to challenge everything but do nothing to help their children understand accountability for their learning and behaviors."

16."When I was teaching before the pandemic, kids would at least try if they didn't understand something or weren't confident. They'd at least put something down if there were a question on an assignment they weren't sure about. Sometimes it was a silly answer, but it was better than nothing! Now, my kids will just be like a deer in the headlights. If there's a question they don't understand, they don't even skip it and come back to it. They just give up. There are whole assignments they turn in blank! They're so afraid to be wrong that they don't even take chances."

—Taylor, 27, Virginia

17."Eloping from classrooms. I've been teaching for 30 years, and in the past few years, students feel they can just leave the room whenever they want. I could understand if it was a bathroom emergency, but they would leave because they didn't want to do the work, they couldn't use their phones, etc. Many of them will say curse words as they head out the door, too. I would still be grounded today if I had done that when I was in school."

18.Lastly: "The burden of responsibility. This has shifted away from students and families and more toward teachers as more districts adopt policies that 'hold the child harmless.' This has created a culture where students are no longer held accountable for themselves, their behavior, learning, work output, and more! While teachers still hold some responsibility for these, the families and students seemingly have zero, and THAT'S the problem — that partnership has eroded. If a student misbehaves or does not know how to socialize positively, the parents expect us to teach life and social skills FOR them (as I've had parents tell me). They seem to be more concerned about being liked or being their child's friend. But kids no longer have consequences for poor grades or behavior, and while I think second chances are excellent, not everything in life gets a redo."

"While I do my very best and give 100% every day (and I’m admittedly pretty good) with teaching 8th-grade history, social-emotional skills, life skills, and providing gentle Ted Lasso-like guidance to these kids, it’s getting harder and harder because I don’t have the same energy that I used to have when I first started teaching."

—Chris

If you're a longtime teacher, what are some differences you've noticed teaching kids now versus back then? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using this form!

Note: Some stories have been edited for length and/or clarity.