I’d love for this blog to be all about giving advice and telling stories based on my lengthy, and still continuing, career as a high school English teacher but right now, I’m flummoxed. I am attempting to teach Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451 to several classes of juniors. It should be unfortunately obvious that I’m used to kids not being enthusiastic nor paying attention to what they should be doing but it never gets easier to deal with.

Every day, they prove this book right! They completely fail to make the connection that their inability to read a book in favor of looking at their phone screen is a problem. No matter what I say or try to emphasize, they just don’t get it. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m telling them that every time they choose not to pay attention in class, they are allowing other people to be smarter than them. They don’t care.

Every teacher I know feels the same way. The apathy is so pervasive and so detrimental, it’s scary. Kids have always thought they know more than anyone else but this level of not caring is the worst I’ve seen in 30 years. I love my kids this year. They are personable yet immature. They are entertaining but lack impulse control. They have the world at their fingertips but are hyper fixated on their friends and themselves. Writing an essay takes a week, with constant reassurance needed. Reading a book is unheard of. They can’t even watch a ten minute video without picking up their phones. I don’t know what’s going to become of this generation, and I’ve never felt that way before. I’ve taught both the Millennials and the Gen Z’ers but these Alphas are weak. I can only hope that the world they will be going out to will be so different, they’ll fit in and find their way.

I’m not usually negative or a complainer but, man, I’m glad I’m almost retired. I signed on to be a teacher, not an entertainer and that seems to be the main job of teachers today.