As a high school teacher I have only worked with students in
the Millenial generation. I am a part of that generation as well as I am 30
years old and born in 1984. I can remember exactly where I was and what I was
doing when some of the events they mentioned happened. The biggest one that I
feel I have lived through is 9/11. This is a day that many people will never
forget. It happened my senior year of high school. I remember watching the news
footage in my zoology class. I have friends that have been a part of the Iraq
wars. I think the events that they mentioned definitely impacted our generation
and my life. Another event I would add is the power outage that went on in 2003.
One part in the video I thought was very interesting was when the girl held up
a sign that said only 18% of her teachers knew her name. When I think about how
education changes and moves to online and hybrid classes, I wonder how much
technology will effect students and their relationships with their teachers. I
also found it alarming that 63% of teachers do not let their students use technology
to create as assignment.
I feel some of the things that they have used to describe
our generation are true. I think my students are big into gaming. As a teacher
I try and relate things to the games they play. Most recently I used the trivia
crack app as an example in class. I also feel that my students are very
socially conscious. The students seem to care a lot about the opinions of their
peers. A negative opinion or rumor has a huge impact on a lot of students in
class. This is something that I think does describe a majority of students I
teach, but I’m not sure I would say the same for myself or my friends. Students
in this generation are big time multi-taskers. An example I would give is
students have a much easier time staying focused on work in class while
listening to music. Many students study to music. This is something that is
very true for me. The last thing I find to be true is the thought that our
generation is tech savvy. I know that many students help their parents use
technology.
One thing I disagree with is a characteristic given in the
introduction video. I would not say that today’s students are spoiled rotten. I
have many students that work to support their family or that have to wait for 2
hours after school for a ride home. As a coach I often have to drive my
athletes home from games or practices. I think that there are some students who
are spoiled but I believe the majority of today’s students are not spoiled.
Another thing I would disagree with is that the generation is healthy lifestyle.
I think that the opposite is true. Many students spend time on technology now
instead of being active.
