Today is very weird, simply put. “Back to school” is usually synonymous with such phrases as, “back to 15 weeks of death” or, “Whelp, this sucks” or a personal favorite of mine, “welcome to Hell.” But this year is drastically different as I sit here being a 26 year old Social Media Strategist. Once I finished school in 2012 I began instantly searching for jobs that fit the career path I was hoping for. I found that perfect fit for myself in what I’m doing right now, but that’s not what is going on for the majority of my friends on this day. Half of my friends are talking about “oh how quick they grow up. I now have a son in Kindergarten/Middle school!” On the other hand, those friends who would usually be “entering Hell” today are now the teachers of the Kindergarten/Middle schoolers aforementioned.
“Well, well, well, how the turntables…” – Michael Scott (The Office, US). It is now time for the students to become the masters. But what connection does this have with social media? It’s actually quite simple, if you do your homework. All of these people talking about school (both having a child going back, and teaching) are from posts I’ve seen on Facebook and other social media sites. Which is odd because usually topics that arise on Facebook and the like are now extremely opinion based. “School is great” vs. “I learn nothing in school,” “that’s crazy you have a child in middle school” vs. “omg don’t they grow up so quickly?!” Rarely do people completely flip the switch from being turned off to something, like school, to being the light in the darkness in such a case of being a teacher.
Not only are opinions changing but so are the adults of the children entering a new school. They may very literally be attending parent-teacher conferences with other young adults their same age… weird huh? This also means you’re trusting another person roughly your same age to teach/guard/encourage/help grow your own children. This may cause for a larger amount of respect, or at least a new level of trust/confidence in your peers knowing they may be partially responsible for the upbringing of your child. How will that change in character affect your life? Having to be an adult
who is more trustworthy and respectful to those around you will (hopefully) spill over to other aspects of your life such as how you present yourself online.
Will you still bicker with those in your generation who have a slightly different philosophy or method of teaching in a classroom than you? Will you look down upon the procrastinators who have finished school with a teaching degree, yet have somehow landed a teaching position? The knowledge is still very present in the minds of these new teachers. Love, respect and encourage our new educators coming up in today’s society as they try their best to grow the next generation to the best of their abilities. And of course, never throw a tantrum on Facebook, that’s for your children.