An Ontario teacher says “manners have disappeared” in classrooms since the pandemic, and new research agrees that children have become ruder to teachers and each other.

“There are a lot more explosions,” said Marylinda Lamarra, a high school teacher with the York Catholic District School Board in Ontario.

“Students feel empowered to speak up every time they have a question on their mind…or ask to go to the bathroom, mid-sentence while I’m teaching,” she said . The current.

Lamarra said students struggle to pay attention throughout a lesson and fail to manage their own disruptive behavior. They are also more rude to each other and often cannot resolve conflicts without resorting to yelling.

“This has become more and more visible post-COVID,” she said.

They were at home behind a screen… They could do what they wanted-Marylinda Lamarra

A recent study from Brock University have noted a significant increase in classroom incivility since the pandemic. Researchers asked 308 Ontario children aged 9 to 14 to complete a survey asking if they had ever engaged in rude or disruptive behavior.

This includes things like texting in class, interrupting or talking over a teacher, or packing up before class even ends. The Brock team also spoke with 101 elementary educators about their classroom experiences.

This data was collected in fall 2022 and compared to surveys previously conducted in fall 2019. The results showed a significant increase in classroom incivility, even though other issues raised in the survey – such as bullying and emotional well-being – showed little change.

Natalie Spadafora, who led the study, said that while some behaviors may seem like minor inconveniences, they shouldn’t be ignored.

“Cumulatively, we know from teachers, students and our research that this can have negative effects,” said Spadafora, a postdoctoral researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies at the Brock University.

“We know that if nothing is done this can escalate into higher level anti-social behaviour.”

“At home behind a screen”

Lamarra believes pandemic shutdowns and remote learning have played a role in this increase in incivility, especially for younger students who have not been taught how to behave in the classroom.

“They were at home behind a screen, with no instruction or decorum in the classroom…They could do whatever they wanted, and they seem to have brought that into the classroom,” she said.

Lamarra said educators expected to have to play catch-up to get kids back on track, but it hasn’t been easy.

“There are students who have made the return, but it has been slower than expected,” she said.

Spadafora believes the pandemic has had an impact, but points out that generational and technological factors may also play a role.

“Ten years ago…texting during class wasn’t a thing on our scale, but now it definitely is,” she said.

“I would say that behaviors change over time, right?”

She added that many of these problems are not caused by children intentionally trying to cause harm. She gave the example of packing books before the end of a lesson and while a teacher is still teaching because a child can’t wait to get back to recess or home at the end of the day.

These children think “about themselves or their social lives” but “forget about group dynamics and what that might entail on a larger scale,” she said.

Get back to basics

Lamarra said it can be frustrating to deal with these disruptions, but she has to keep her cool as a teacher and help her students improve their behavior.

“I think we just need to get back to basics, which is we teach courtesy, good manners,” she said.

She added that “parents have a role to play in teaching their children how to adapt in the classroom and how to adapt in society. We need to give them those skills.”

She fears that if children are not taught to behave courteously in the classroom, this bad behavior will manifest itself in wider society as they grow up.

Spadafora agrees that it is important to foster civility from a young age.

“Civilian children mean civilian adults, and that’s what we all want,” she said.