I have been teaching for eight years. Although compared to some teachers, I have probably seen very little in my eight years of teaching. Yet I can definitely see a change in the children each year. I can also see a major change in the family lifestyle and home.
It appears that children are becoming much more demanding and controlling. They are more rebellious and defiant.
The lifestyle is more hectic and busy and the home lives are more confusing and unusual.
There are children with several different members living in their home. There are children who live with aunts, grandparents, and people not even related to them. There are many more homes in which the children live. There are more people to involve when it comes to conferences and paperwork.
Teaching a child his or her address or phone number (or even name) is no longer a simple task. We actually had two children to register for kindergarten this year with two different last names. One name was printed on the birth certificate and another name was printed on the social security card.
Our world and lives are now revolving around children more than they ever have before. In the past, the parents, the teachers, and the school were the centers and the children rotated around them. However, over time we have traded places.
Many children now carry out tasks at home at their convenience. At school, they wish to do the same. It can be very hard for some children to adjust to having to follow a routine or schedule. They can become defensive and outraged when they are required to carry out the same activity as the other members of the class.
It also seems that more children have medical and health problems. We have several children in kindergarten alone that have been diagnosed with conditions such as shaken baby syndrome, alcohol fetal syndrome, infant stroke, and more. We are having children enter kindergarten with IEPs already written and services already being given.
The Ladder of Skills for Special Needs Kids
Mainstreaming: the Special Needs Child Goes to School