Do We Become the Kids We Teach?

Taking a moment to just catch my breath after hearing David (2 Cents Worth blog) Warlick deliver his keynote “Riding the Wave of Change” at our fall MEMO conference. Compelling ideas about the role of technology in students lives and what it means to be literate in the 21st Century. Folks here at the conference are raving about the opening - an auspicious start! Hope the rest of the conference keeps to this high standard.

But it started me thinking (and that is dangerous…)

Olinger and Olinger in Educause’s Educating the Net Generation ask readers who work with Net Genners to take this simple questionnaire:

1. Do you write in longhand or online?
2. Have you turned over remembering to a device?
3. Do you go to meetings with a laptop or PDA
4. Are you constantly connected? Internet always on? Cell phone always with you?
5. Do you multi-task?
6. Do you play video or computer games?

Well, I had to say yes to 5 out of 6 (I’m not a video gamer, I’m afraid.)

I’ve long observed teachers react to school administration in many cases like kids react to them.

• Elementary teachers want a parent.
• Secondary teachers need somebody against who to rebel.
• Middle school teachers, well are confused, and on any given day can react like either elementary or secondary students. (I was a middle school teacher.)

So are you becoming more like the kids you teach? Is that good thing?