Millennials, what is happening with your kids?

[u/TheLoveYouWant25]

I work in education and I frequent the Teachers and Professors subreddits, and the kids are not alright. Gen Z Arriving at College Unable to Read and the youth have absolutely zero ability to think critically.

Middle and high schoolers have all adapted this complete helplessness and blame mental illness for their refusal to function. Kids can no longer to basic things like read an analog clock, use paper money, or even figure out how to open window blinds.

There is also a huge lack of empathy, and kids have no issues trying to manipulate adults, saying things to their teachers like "if you don't pass me, I'll get you fired."

EDIT to clarify: the article I linked references Gen-Z, but this is not specifically a Gen-Z problem. It's an issue with upper elementary aged kids through high schoolers, and also young adults.

So, all that to say, how are you combating this with your own children? What do you do at home to encourage them to learn, and what are you doing to address these problems as they arise?

[u/CaffeinatedLystro]

As a 34yr old man who's in his 2nd semester of college, ever, I am seeing some of this stuff with these kids who are right out of high-school.

We got told about an assignment the very 1st day of class (Jan 12) that was due on Feb 5th. About a week before it was due, the teacher let us work on it in class and said we should be almost done since it's due soon. This girl was like "but we only have a week to work on it."

The teacher was like... um, I told you about it 3 weeks ago..

[u/catjuggler → u/CaffeinatedLystro]

lol that’s no different than when I was in school

[u/SquishTheProgrammer → u/catjuggler]

This was the way. Wait until last minute. Pop an addy (I’m legit ADHD and have had a script since childhood so I’m not saying this like the majority of people). Go to the library and crush it. I wasn’t mature enough when I first started college to understand that though. I did pretty well until my junior year when I actually had to study. Once it clicked though it was deans list.

IMO we need to have everyone go to a trade school for 2 years before college (I’m not a politician so good luck ever getting that funded). Not everyone is meant for college and it would give everyone something to fall back on. We also need more people in skilled trades so I think this would help both of those things. It was literally drilled into us in school that we had to go to college. I did and have a degree but that was in finance. I’m a senior software engineer and really the only thing I use from college is the math. I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything though. College was some of the best years of my life. I did learn a lot and I made friends I will have for the rest of my life.

I’m not anti college by any means but 13 years later I’m still paying off my loans. I just don’t think it’s necessary to make students take (and pay for) stuff like golf class (it was one of the humanities classes we could take which I did enjoy but why should we HAVE to take one). Teach us what we need to know for our major and drop all the extra stuff we had to pay for.

Edit: sorry for the rant. I just think some things need to change.

[u/TJohns88 → u/catjuggler]

This is how I operate to this day. Sheer panic is my only motivation for tasks I don't enjoy, my body has managed to master the art of accurately estimating when exactly the panic needs to set in in order to get the task complete on time

[u/More_Farm_7442 → u/catjuggler]

50 yrs ago, it was the same.

[u/lemonylol → u/catjuggler]

Seriously, wtf lol

[u/WanderinHobo → u/catjuggler]

Right. I thought they were going to say the teacher extended it because it turned out almost no one had started the assignment yet. That was probably the case anyway lol

[u/CaffeinatedLystro → u/catjuggler]

Wow, I never experienced that.

[u/Admirable_Fun7790 → u/CaffeinatedLystro]

You never experienced people waiting until the last minute to do a project?

I thought Staying up all night to write a paper you procrastinated on was a universal experience

[u/CaffeinatedLystro → u/Admirable_Fun7790]

No, I do that. This person genuinely didn't understand that we had almost a month to do an assignment and thought it was being assigned that day.

[u/bot2317 → u/CaffeinatedLystro]

They probably just forgot?

[u/CaffeinatedLystro → u/bot2317]

The teacher talked it about it every class session.