Mrs. Hersk, a New Jersey high school band and choir teacher, posted a video on TikTok describing the behaviors she sees from her students today that she could never imagine doing back when she was in school.
High schoolers today move through a far different world than older generations did. While they have computers and AI, we had textbooks and projectors on rolling carts. However, it seems that the biggest difference may be in how kids act in school.
Here are 3 things high schoolers do today that wouldn’t make sense to anyone born before the year 2000:
1. They’re not self-motivated
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Hersk described this as “doing things just to feel good about doing them and doing them well.” Her students have a lack of care that she sees reflected in their performance in the classroom.
She added, “I could probably count on one hand the amount of assignments I’ve received in the last 10 years that I’ve been like ‘wow, you really put your all into this, I can tell you worked hard.’ That has happened maybe a handful of times.”
However, this may not be entirely their fault. A lot of kids today are overwhelmed by their schedules and workload, making them feel constantly burnt out and leaving little room in their lives to determine what they’re passionate about. It’s hard to be motivated to do something you’re not interested in.
2. They refuse to take accountability
“I will call them out in class like, ‘you’re texting, can you put your phone away?'” said Hersk. Often, the students will claim they were texting a parent, and she replied, “You can text your mom back and tell her that I told you to put your phone away.”
Many students won’t take any accountability for their mistakes or mess-ups. Perhaps it’s a consequence of gentle parenting or behavior that has been too justified, but kids today prefer to minimize personal responsibility and deflect blame onto others rather than own up to it.
According to an article from The Therapist LLC, “Blame-shifting is not uncommon in children and can stem from various psychological and developmental factors. Research suggests that children often deflect blame as a defense mechanism to avoid feelings of guilt, shame, or punishment.”
3. They have a hard time figuring things out
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“They have a really hard time navigating directions, trying to define something. If they don’t know something, they will just give up and leave it blank,” Hersk claimed. “They do not use clues around them to inform their decisions and ideas, and they just do not figure stuff out on their own.”
Far less prepared to do independent problem-solving, students have begun to rely too much on technology such as search engines and AI. They fall into the habit of just looking things up rather than thinking them through or searching for an answer.
New research from the College Board reveals that the majority of high school students (84%) report using Generative AI tools for schoolwork. They no longer have to do the full process themselves, causing them to miss out on learning valuable skills.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.