Article - Generations

Abstract:
This article is about understanding the educational environment through the generations that are involved in it. The three generations that are talked about the most are the Boom Generation (born 1943-1960), Generation X (born 1961-1981), and the Millennial Generation (born since 1982). The boomer generation went through school during a time of strong community and civic confidence and when teaching was a strong social status. They were and are proud of their education, and therefore have dominated America’s K-12 classrooms for the past two generations. Generation Xers were raised when parents put the needs of themselves in front of the needs of their children. Because of this, this generation didn’t do as well in school. They spent less time on homework and didn’t get as high of grades. Generation Xers thrived on some skills though – they are skilled at negotiation and interacting with others. Most of Generation X are defenders of the No Child Left Behind laws. Millennials are kind of a mix between the Boomers and Generation X because they could have either generation as parents. Millennials feel special, they have been told from the time they were young that they were vital to their school, community, and nation. They are often sheltered, not trusted with too much responsibility by their parents, and conventional, they don’t experiment with as much drugs as the previous generation. Millennials are also team oriented and excited about what the future has to offer.

Reflection:
Knowing about the different generations is definitely going to come in handy when I become a teacher. I’m going to have to deal with a lot of parents, mainly from the Generation X generation. Knowing how they feel about their child’s education is crucial - teachers shouldn’t take things personal from this generation, it was just the way they were raised. Generation X supports school accountability, parental choice, charter schools, and home-schooling. They don’t trust public school because they had a bad experience with their own education. Generation X feel like they were cheated out of their own education, and don’t want the same thing to happen to their children. They want to be in charge and know everything that’s going on with their child’s education. But they also want to make sure their child is going to be safe at school. They keep track on all the bad things that kids are doing these days, and want to make sure that their child stays away from those things. Generation X parents are definitely going to be a challenge, but it is important that you get their support on your side.