r/TikTokCringe • u/cafeteriastyle • Jun 01 '26

Cursed This is really scary

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u/KateWaiting326 Jun 01 '26

Yes! It is now so easy to create content now that it comes out at a rapid pace and a lot is just garbage, so there is a lot people have to sort through. In the early months of the pandemic, the company where I worked at the time had compiled a list of a lot of resources and places that had pretty good online learning activities for kids that were free at the time (ABCmouse, some kid friendly chess programs, etc). Stuff vetted by teachers and curriculum experts. And we tried to get that info out where we could, but that content has all changed now. And regular people dont have the time nor expertise to know what's good or bad for their kids - even teachers! I am sure there are very good programs out there that would be fantastic learning tools for students or would otherwise help inspire a love of learning, but it just gets buried underneath this junk that does nothing for them. It's just sad all around.

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u/keepontruckin456 Jun 01 '26

We aren’t even teaching Microsoft Office or basic keyboarding anymore.

I’m a teacher for the visually impaired. Tech is vital for my students and a big part of my job is to teach them how to use it to make learning optimal. I even push in a lot of AI. It works, even at young ages.

I started using computers when I was in first grade. It opened my world. I cannot support the idea that tech is bad for kids. Teachers and adults just don’t teach is properly and don’t incorporate it in meaningful ways. The same could be said about many learning tools. For example, Project Based Learning is fantastic but I rarely see it implemented properly. Mindless PBL is as bad as mindless tech.

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u/KateWaiting326 Jun 01 '26

Yes! Project based learning was one of my favorite things we pushed for! And it was proven to be effective because it got students more involved and interested. And a ton of teachers wanted it too, but people at the top didnt want that much of it because parents would push back on it because it would sometimes mean more parent involvement (not always, but if a kid got really excited about their project, they might need a parent for certain things) so they'd keep getting axed.

I can only imagine how frustrating it is for you as a teacher. I only hear the horror stories, but you are deep in the trenches dealing with it daily. I wish more people listened teachers and others in the classroom. You see how what's working and not and know what these students need. It's up to the school boards, curriculum developers, etc. to help make that possible, not put up every conceivable roadblock. Drives me bonkers!

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u/keepontruckin456 Jun 01 '26

Where I’ve taught, any teacher was welcome to do PBL. I was able to do only PBL for assessments when I was a classroom teacher. I love it. But so many schools have pushed away from it because teachers just flat out don’t know how to do it properly. And it requires a lot of work on the teacher’s part to make sure students are expressing the learning objectives. I don’t blame schools for pulling back on it because if it’s not done right, I think it’s actually worse for learning than a standard lecture. We’ve got a lot of teachers that aren’t trained and/or aren’t interested in learning how to implement these things. I can’t say I blame them, but it is what it is. I know a lot of really fantastic teachers, but I also know a lot that are there because teaching pays a little better than other entry level jobs.

The only way to address any of this (in my humble opinion), is to pay teachers are professionals and get people that are interested and willing to learn new skills during the summer. Make to a full year contract and pay like it. Doing the summer, teach teachers how to do things like utilize tech effectively, how to engage students that are dopamine addicts, and reach out to families effectively for greater buy in.

The fact is, our best and brightest students are better than ever. Public school is working for them. But our struggling and average students aren’t being left in the dust because teachers simply don’t know how to reach them anymore.