Is anyone concerned for the next generation of children?

Question

I am a grade 3 teacher and I am astounded at what is happening to our kids. I have girls that are already maturing at the age of 8 and have older boys flirting with them. They are already having body image issues and feeling fat. I have boys who are trying to impress the girls and talking about how "Hot " other girls are and about the girls bodies. (Grade 3 as well). I have overheard grade 6 girls discussing sex acts they have partaken in with random guys and grade 4's who have been drunk and drink beer. (One could describe the drunken effects perfectly). I have watched students gang up in a mob to fight another child like teenagers. A study was just put out in our area the by the age of 13 boys have veiwed too many pornagraphic videos to count.(via the internet) I am concered about the sexualization of children and am scared for them. I wish they could experience a real childhood without all this adult stuff. How can I get over it and teach without feeling like I want to protect them?

Answer 1

You dont have to get over it.............

you can do your best in your classroom and in your third grade team to try to get the kids to understand that school is separate from what goes on outside.

we want to learn and have a classroom family etc. Time will thicken your skin but dont be in a hurry. We need a resurgence in education and hopefully the pendelum will swing. some kids need oncampus? fulltime ? extended school year ? or something in the educational process. sexual activity of 3rd grade and beyond is nothing new but we just cant do enough to stop it all. We can hope to do our best. it takes a community to raise a child. as teachers we can do our part.
some of the sexualization is imbedded in rap. some of it is over exposure from immature adults, or lack of supervision...... tons of different reasons.

Give them a chance to just be kids when we can at school.. they dont even have some of the benifits of what some of us got at school..... i think that i stored up a lifetimes worth of excitement, wonder, and enthusiasm from what i got to experience going through school. some students learn apathy at a much earlier age too.

Answer 2

First of all, yes it is bad. But mostly kids are big talkers and much is made up to look cool. They hear it from others, movies or on the internet and they develope this type of heavy language. It does not mean 8 yr olds are habing sex. Although they are getting the message from our lifestyles that it is OK. Look at the "R" rated movies little children watch. They think this stuff is OK and acceptible or they want to experiment like Brad Pitt did kissing the girl on the movies.
I think the most destructive thing nowadays is the Movies, and Internet.
Movies depict the idea of sex, killing and all forms of abuse. Kids think this is normal or they want to experience that act as it looked cool when Denzel did it.
Look at these Jackass Movies. Some think they are funny but some want to do the same acts and see what happens. Why do we allow movies like this and the maker has a small fortune from it.
The internet is bad for kids and even teens. Here is why? It lets them say or do anything behind the MASK of the computer screen. They are not responsible for anything they say or anyone they hurt while on the computer. Even adults feel this way. They talk dirty, trashy, nasty and hurtful and feel that it is OK. They dont have to see or deal with the person on the recieving end.
And they are totally suceptible to frauds and molesters acting innocent and lying.
Another problem is all the Video Games these kids play. It has taken over way above TV time. These Games are harmful and some are horrific. Look at the one where you shoot prostitutes. Should kids even now what they are or think it is ok to shoot guns.
These x rated games are making it into every home. Even little kids what to master them. They have found it rearranges the brain and sets it up for depression and violence. These kids will eventually act out. Agression is everywhere.

As a society we need to stop Big Business from making money off our kids. Stop them from making this filth and violent stuff.
It will only stop when enought adults demand it to stop. But many adults are working on there own life, just existing or having fun. I see way too many parents sitting there kids infront of the computer so they can drink a beer or kick back. Or even go out.
When will parents take the resposibility for being a parent?
It is a full time job and one of the most important you will ever do. For your child, for yourself and for society.

Answer 3

Yes, this generation is much more exposed to sexual images and sex than previous generations. You can blame the media, but at the bottom line its the parents who allow this. I am a high school teacher and it amazes me how mothers and fathers think nothing of the fact their daughters are coming to school only half dressed. We have a dress code and the parents fight it because they dont want to have to enforce rules on their children. Parents of sons keep saying its all talk and boys will be boys, this is possible but that laize faire attitude is saying that the parents do not mind. I see teenagers and kids dance. They mimic those sexy moves they see on videos. Look at cheerleaders , it has become bump and grind. When teachers complian parents tell us its not our business. Its not all talk. I see way too many teen pregnancies, I have seen girls as young as 12 get pregnant. Growing up I bought my own clothes but I still had to show them to my mom and she had final say. If I had sex with a boy , first my parents would have killed me and then they would have gone after the guy just in case his parents hadn't already done so.

Answer 4

As a teacher i find this rush to be grown up and do all the things that grown ups do hard to fathom. Unfortunately for most of us we are spectators to a bad 'movie'. There are positives for some of the students but regrettably not enough for me. I think that all you can do is to be constant and consistent in advising kids that with all these adult things there are consequences. Such things as addiction, STD's, brain damage, psychological issues, and loss of estime. It is unfortunate that there is a permissive, laissez-faire, attiltude amongs many adults out there and it will be the children and the adults who will suffer for it. I am not very optimistic about the future, but you can only do so much. If adults continue to ignore their children and the kids grow up 'wild' there is almost nothing that you as an individual can do.

Answer 5

I see this problem a little from outside as I'm a teacher and full time mother from Hungary . This country was separated for the most dangerous trends of the Western society for decades, although we paid with our freedom for it. Now we have the freedom and I can see those dangers lurking.
But the most important of all is the danger of irresponsible, immature adults who raise their children wild or don't care for them at all. They won't be able to pass on the feeling of responsibility to their children and if they live to see their grandchildren they will see them suffer from it.
Hungarian pre-school education I think is very good because the old traditions of the rules, habits and responsibilities in nursery schools are alive and are still determining the educational programs of these institutions. My youngest daughter is fortunate enough to go to a kindergarten where she can feel the security of the rules and habits, and the caring of the teachers. It is more important than other well-sounding program items like language classes or jazz-balett in the nursery. But without the moral support of parents it couldn't do much.
Responsibility would be a keyword for many problems nowadays and there are films, literary pieces, songs that can be used to talk about the topic with the kids around us.
It would be very important to keep the issue of responsibility alive. Films and internet are just tools, why not use them on the good purpose? The important thing is to start talking to the kids about it and try to involve parents very carefully.
But we should collect as many responsible people as possible and commit ourselves to live up to our own expectations and act and talk responsibly about the topic whenever we could.
I remember when my teacher told us about a Hungarian-Jewish poet called Radnoti who wrote very modern poems in a very unusual way before WWII, but when he was taken to concentration camps he kept writing in a secret diary, but now in strict ancient forms thus clinging to his morals, thus keeping the world together for himself. He was killed, but his diary somehow managed to get to civilized hands and be published. I think he was one of the most independent and responsible persons I've ever heard about, though I've heard about a lot.
Can't we act the right way just to keep our world together and to become better?
Can't we start a Responsible Revolution?

Answer 6

I am and i know exactly what you are talking about. Im takign a child development course in my school and kids (4-5) are talking about their 'girlfriends' and "boyfriends" and who they're dating this week. it might be harmless but the older kids are encouraging that kind of behavior/ i mean two kids starting kissing in class! i mean 4 yearolds like making out! and the other girls in my class where just like laughing and whatever.. but i think i mean.. i know its the media. my little sister is 9 and she thinks she's fat and ugly.// shes no where near fat or ugly! even teenage girls are going crazy.. maybe it was just the way i was brought up but i definitely see that somethings wrong

Answer 7

My cousin is a nine year old who likes to watch the porn that they be giving on TV at like 12pm I am very concerned about the next generation, i didnt even know what sperm was until i was in the sixth grade and look at these kids today, they know everything there is to know about sex.

Answer 8

You can't. It's in your nature to want to protect your students, so there won't be any "getting over it." You CAN proactively teach your students life skills to help them cope with the world around them, and you CAN make their parents aware of the conversations their children are bringing into the classroom.