A teacher who has been working in classrooms for almost 30 years says this year’s ninth grade students are the hardest group she has ever taught. She points to serious problems with respect and focus that she has never seen before.
The teacher shared her thoughts on Reddit, saying that over her career she has taught many different types of classes. Some years were good, and some were tough. But she has never felt as frustrated as she does now. She said that while there are some great kids in her classes, most students show very little respect and cannot stay focused on their work.
In her Reddit post, the teacher wrote that she has “NEVER in my life have I experienced the level of frustration that I am experiencing with this year’s 9th graders.” She said “the level of disrespect and inability to stay focused on their tasks is off the chart” and that her “patience is at an end.” She added that “this might be the year that I am done.”
Students are struggling with attention spans across all grade levels
Other teachers quickly responded to say they are seeing the same problems. One kindergarten teacher said that people often ask her how bad five year olds can really be. She told them it is actually very bad. Teachers agree on one main point: they cannot keep students interested when phones and screens are always nearby.
Research backs up what teachers are seeing in their classrooms. Studies from 2024 show that young people have much shorter attention spans now, and this matches up with how much time they spend on social media. Dr. Gloria Mark, who teaches at the University of California, found something shocking. In 2004, people could focus on their computer screens for about two and a half minutes. Today, that number has dropped to just 47 seconds. One study looked at TikTok’s effect on learning and found it was hurting how well elementary school students could focus.
New surveys show just how bad things have gotten in schools across America. In December 2024, the EdWeek Research Center asked teachers about student behavior. They found that 72 percent of teachers said students are behaving worse now than they were before COVID-19 hit.
Even more striking, 80 percent of teachers said they have to deal with behavior problems at least a few times every week. More than half said it happens every single day. The pandemic made everything worse. When students came back to school after being home for so long, they had trouble focusing, staying motivated, and getting along with others. Many are still struggling with these issues today.