High School Teacher Says Her Freshmen Students Are ‘Unteachable’ — ‘I’ve Never Seen It This Bad’
High school students are struggling to read and write.
Paula VV | Shutterstock A frustrated high school teacher turned to Reddit to vent, saying that half of their freshman class is so far behind academically that they are "unteachable." They explained that teenagers are entering high school multiple grades behind academically. Because of that, the teacher's day-to-day has become harder and more stressful.
And they're not alone. Several teachers reported similar experiences, with some even arguing that students in higher grades, including seniors, struggle to read and write.
A high school teacher said their freshman students are so far behind academically that they are 'unteachable.'
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The teacher began by saying that students who reach high school with a third-grade level of reading and writing are essentially "unteachable." The educator then added that it had never been this bad until this year.
They're teaching a co-taught class where, according to the teacher, half the students are developmentally six years behind where they should be. "My co-teacher is losing their mind," they said. "I'm losing my mind." And that reaction makes sense. If half your kids can't understand the lesson, and the other half is being held back because they are at grade level, what do you do? Who do you focus on?
Other teachers weighed in, sharing similar experiences with students unable to handle their grade level's curriculum.
Thousands of teachers commented on this high school teacher's post, and for good reason. They are all facing similar difficulties in their classes.
One teacher wrote, "You are not alone. I teach at an inner city school in Phoenix and over 90% of our 7th graders are minimally proficient in English. It’s impossible to use grade-level curriculum or resources. The gap is just too high for these students and they will never get the remedial education that would actually work to bridging their academic gaps. It’s a bad situation for all." They went on to say, "Unfortunately, this is what happens when you don’t hold students or families accountable for their academic progress. We never retain. Just pass them on to the next teacher and hope they magically catch up."
Douglas Fisher, an administrator at the Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego, said schools are no longer holding kids back if they don't meet a grade level's benchmarks, and that is doing the entire student body a disservice. He said, "We have kids that, on our benchmark knowledge assessments, are scoring at the equivalent of second grade, first grade, even fourth grade."
But when students are at such varying levels when it comes to learning, how can a teacher even create a lesson plan? As another teacher noted, "Kids that are more than two grade levels behind need extra support that cannot be provided for in a classroom where they can't contribute or participate on their own."
When students are extremely far behind, all the students suffer.
"I don't even really know the other half of my class," the teacher said. This happens because they don’t have the time to work with the students who are capable of following the designated curriculum for freshman students. "I'm busy putting out fires with the other half," they added, "who seemingly have never been told to do anything their entire life."
The teacher wrapped up by expressing just how exhausting it can be to teach these students. The main issue, apparently, is their reading and writing, as the teacher explained that the students struggle even with simple short story assignments and writing basic paragraphs.
So what really is the solution? Parents need to be more engaged. Teachers need more administrative support. Classrooms need to be smaller. Schools need to start holding kids back who aren't ready for the next grade. The problem with all the solutions is that they all require money. Most schools are barely able to keep their doors open, and raising taxes isn't exactly a solution either.
These teachers deserve more. More importantly, these students deserve more. What happens to these kids who graduate barely able to read and write? As one commenter sadly wrote, "Not a teacher, but a retired manager of warehouses. Those who don’t go to colleges come to work in places like mine. What you describe is what we see every day in the workforce. Lots of young workers get let go because they cannot read, write, comprehend, do math (simple). What jobs they could get are disappearing because of AI and automation."
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
