The kids are getting dumber

I’ve only been teaching since 2015 but I have seen a decline in both behavior and cognition each year. I work in a low income urban elementary school. <br><br>This is what I’ve noticed <br><br>Frequent tantrums. Like full on screaming on the floor while hitting others. <br><br>I have a kid in 4th grade who full on drools on himself. I don’t think he’s special ed he’s just slow (I know that sounds terrible but it’s the truth). I’m not sure what to do when he gets like that, although he does eat lunch with me once a week because he asks to so idk if that’s working ? <br><br>Lack of basic human empathy and kindness. They call me a bitch constantly and laugh and call each other n word and bitch and goth. <br><br>Most of them can’t focus on anything for more than 5 minutes. I’ve literally watched them go from playing with toys to drawing to coloring to building with blocks to poking the class pet to roaming the room on a rampage knocking shit over in under 5 minutes. <br><br>Does anyone else see this?