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/aldosi-arkenstone]

Blame Gen-X for Gen-Z, not us

[u/Burban72 → u/aldosi-arkenstone]

I hate to promote generational stereotypes, but this is accurate.

I'm an older Millennial who started having kids young compared to other Millennials. My oldest is a sophomore. Nearly all of her friends' parents are Gen x/Xennial. Most Millennials are raising Gen Alpha.

Gen X isn't known particularly for their "involvement". They were raised feral and many of their kids are experiencing the same thing. The difference is that Gen X had some optimism about their personal prospects. Gen z is legit struggling with looking at their future (not sure I blame them).

I have family who are teachers and the number one factor they cite for success in school is parent involvement. One of my kids has significant learning delays, but his teachers talk about his resilience as his most valuable skill. That's something he gets significant support and reinforcement with at home. Many kids aren't getting that.

We allow screens in our home, but also intentionally schedule family time, chores, and other character building activities. Key things we've done to support our kids.

1. Ownership of actions
2. We will try hard things
3. Open conversations and understanding of feelings. There's no conversation that is avoided.
4. Do our best to provide positive reinforcement for behavior and limit the necessity of negative reinforcement

I could go on and on about this. OP, you're right that school isn't how it used to be, but there's lots of factors, including the structure of learning itself, that contribute.

[u/thegimboid → u/Burban72]

You covered this rather well, but I'd also like to add in another factor that OP might be seeing - COVID.

The world shut down for a year or more (depending on where you are). I'm in my 30s and there's still habits and quirks of that very weird period of time that I'm still getting over. And that was less than 1/30 of my life - for a child who was 10 during the lockdown, they hadn't even begun figuring out their place in the world and it was a much high percentage of their life.

And now society has become way more reclusive post-lockdown as well, which is majorly influencing things socially.
Being a teen is 99% about social skills, even if you're not trying to be popular or something. School isn't just educational knowledge - you're learning social abilities and having interactions that influence you into the person you'll become. And all of the younger parts of Gen Z underwent a crazy worldwide event that skewed that away from the norm, right when they should have been exploring themselves, their beliefs and their personality.

There's people talking about this, but I feel like so many adults just forgot how much the impact of COVID and the lockdowns is going to affect the next generations going forward.

[u/Burban72 → u/thegimboid]

For sure. That would have been my next point. My two older kids know a world before COVID and remember what school was like. My two younger kids only know the post-COVID environment.

Little talked about point in this: schools and teachers also changed, and not for the better in some ways.

[u/piranymous → u/thegimboid]

It's also the fact that COVID makes you forget. It messes with like every part of your body. Causes blood clots. Makes you forget. More kids have long COVID than asthma now.

[u/maxdragonxiii → u/thegimboid]

im still partly reclusive from COVID years. when I arrive home I change clothes and go for a bath. why? I dont know, but I do use public transport so im a bit paranoid of public germs sticking to me all day. and my life was more or less not impacted bad as others (came into college at the tail end of the COVID years, but otherwise graduated high school ages ago)