Yeah, something is wrong with these kids

I’ve been teaching since 2003. I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go: meth, Facebook, TikTok, vaping, etc. <br><br>This is my 20th year in the classroom, and I’ve never seen anything like this before. <br><br>Something is wrong with these kids. They can’t focus, they are mean (to each other and to me), they are unkind. They are rude and don’t seem to care when I call them on it. <br><br>As a high school English teacher, I can see the writing on the wall (ha!): their grammar and spelling are abysmal; their attention span is nonexistent; they are completely incapable of sitting silently and still for five minutes. <br><br>Some of them are so rude and so mean all the time, to everyone. I can’t help but wonder what their homes are like, because I can’t imagine this is the way they speak to their parents.<br><br>I know I sound like an old fart, and maybe I am. But something is wrong with these kids.