By Dr. Stephanie Boyce
For ages, generational differences have been the root cause of many raging debates in America. In the same spirit of parental-child conflicts, these cultural clashes of the generations tend to be an indication of changing values that are foundational for each group. Currently, there are four generations present in the workforce, Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), Millennials (1981-1996), and Generation Z (1997-2012). The rise of Generation Z into the workforce brought some changing values that are challenging older generations to understand and manage on the job, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Source: Wikimedia Commons User: Cmglee
In the hallways of our schools, we are seeing this generational conflict start to crystalize. On the surface level, it appears that the issue can be summed up as a disagreement on the definition of work ethic. But further investigation and conversations with teachers and administrators in the field, may be inviting a more nuanced question: Does the “hard work” ethos of older generations, in fact, translate to greater success in classrooms?
The Hard Working Generation
One of the foremost complaints heard from educational leaders in older generations of educators about younger generations of teachers is the fact that they are simply not hard working. This complaint tends to be acutely focused at Generation Z, as the new teachers on the block.
When asked for more specific examples, leaders cited instances such as younger teachers canceling after school activities with students due to inclement weather, taking off of work the whole day for minor or routine doctor’s appointments, missing work due to car problems (instead of finding another means of transportation), getting offended when given constructive feedback on their performance, and constantly saying what they will and won’t do (despite the request of their superiors).
These examples, provided by campus leaders, may cause some people to assume that younger teachers are just entitled and less steadfast than their older counterparts. Some of the same leaders boast of their experiences as younger educators where they were the first in and last out of school buildings. Serving during a time before electronic gradebooks and artificial intelligence, these educators were subjected to the manual labor and time-consuming administrative tasks many younger teachers will never have to experience in the span of their careers. For these reasons, older educators hail themselves the OGs of education and their hard work and dedication to grind culture is even worn as a badge of honor.
Despite these sentiments, new research suggests that younger generations may be more effective with increasing students’ academic performance (as measured by improving test scores) with both Black and White students. According to the National Council on Teacher Quality, “Gen X teachers raised student math scores by a significant amount compared to Baby Boomer teachers, and Millennial teachers raised math scores even more than Gen Xers. They also found that younger generations of teachers are significantly better at teaching both Black and white students, though the improvements for Black students are significantly larger than those for white students.”
The Work Smarter, Not Harder Generation
When it comes to younger generations, they seem to have a completely different philosophy when it comes to how to approach all the responsibilities educators are tasked with in contemporary schools. When asked about their perceptions of this idea that Generation Z is not willing to work as hard as those that preceded them, their responses, although nuanced, revealed a bigger value-shift at the core of this debate.
Gen Z teachers overwhelmingly expressed the sentiment that for them working harder didn’t equate to working more hours. Considering that this is the generation that has never not had the internet and time-saving technology at their fingertips, it’s not surprising that they readily subscribe to a work smarter, not harder ideology when considering time in the workplace. Tasks that once took teachers hours and hours (i.e. lesson planning, inputting grades, parental correspondence, etc.) can literally be done in a fraction of the time due to districts and schools investing in modern tech tools.
“Gen X teachers raised student math scores by a significant amount compared to Baby Boomer teachers, and Millennial teachers raised math scores even more than Gen Xers. They also found that younger generations of teachers are significantly better at teaching both Black and white students, though the improvements for Black students are significantly larger than those for white students.”
With this in mind, many younger teachers also reported being asked to take on additional duties on their campuses like sponsoring student groups or activities, as they, simultaneously, are still learning the ins and outs of their craft. Many of them expressed that when, and if, they declined being “volun-told” they must take on additional responsibilities, they felt they were characterized negatively. To this end, one word resounded in their responses… boundaries. When asked to take on more, or stay later, one Gen Z teacher explained, “Gen Z educators are deciding that it’s not worth dealing with a lot of the extra expectations and non-contract duty that is being placed on all teachers nowadays… I still do my job 100%, but I’m not stressing myself out trying to do xyz requirements that don’t serve my reason for going into teaching. My main goal and job is to teach and help my students grow.” Considering the diminishing value of respectability culture in our society at large, it is clear to see how a younger teacher not only setting, but articulating and enforcing these types of boundaries with their superiors may be the cause of discontent.
One other important theme that emerged from the feedback Gen Z teachers shared was their awareness of previous generations’ experiences with work/life balance or being defined by how hard they can work. To this end, these educators expressed their refusal to allow their identities to be singularly defined by the work they do. One third year Gen Z teacher expresses the sentiment of, “…watching our parents or grandparents do right by the system… and get nothing fulfilling out of it and chalk it up to ‘that’s how life is’ or a bootstrap mentality. So we’re fine with being viewed as the ‘lazy entitled’ generation when in reality we are breaking the curse of ‘shut up and work.’” Yet another added, “I was a person before becoming a teacher and now that I am one, I do not plan on replacing my identity with my career.”
Collective Progress
Perhaps when considering the collective progress of the profession, for the sake of the students’ being served, it is advantageous for younger and older teachers to start learning from one another. By that I mean, it appears there is a unique opportunity whereby older educators in the field may start to reflect on their own inclinations towards overworking or even being defined by their work as an utmost priority. Maybe the resistance of some younger teachers is actually a blueprint they may adopt for cultivating a healthier approach to work/life balance. In a profession where burnout is driving many to leave the field completely, there also is a growing opportunity for older educators to lean into ways that working smarter and not harder may unlock new levels of joy and connectivity on campuses where teachers don’t feel excessively overworked and undervalued. Instead of shutting them out, opening the flow of communication by allowing for younger teachers to provide their feedback on district culture and systems operations they may have to offer the organization, may prove to be a pathway to innovation that older generations had not even considered.
Conversely, there could be lessons for some younger teachers who’d like to apply rigid confines around their willingness to overextend themselves for the sake of their school communities. Drawing upon the wisdom of some of the older educators in the field may find them with a justice-driven approach to the work of teaching that may, in fact, cause them to reach outside of their comfort zones less begrudgingly. While schools have set bell schedules and calendars, every educator knows that no day is exactly like the next. For that reason, finding flexibility in times of emerging campus needs may be easier to do, when they start to consider the research that reveals teachers are the #1 difference makers in the academic achievement of their students.
Internalizing this truth as their North Star, older and younger educators have a unique opportunity to reshape the educational landscape by working collaboratively, not combatively, to do the most good for students every day. In a world that is engulfed daily in dualism, the teaching profession has a chance to innovate, like never before by embracing a culture of intergenerational collaboration and mutual appreciation.
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