California Educator

August/September 2019

Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1158290

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Gen z Aasha Trosper joins her second-graders at Martin Luther King Elementary in dancing the Floss. I T ' S M I D - M A Y, but pouring rain dictates that recess will be held in the classroom at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Oakland. Aasha Trosper joins her second-graders in a dance called the Floss. Students are surprised she has heard of it — and shocked she can perform it with gusto. Afterward, they create memory books on their iPads, graph- ing out their favorite things. One of their favorites, unsurprisingly, is Trosper. "She's cool," says a student. "She's amazing," explains another. "She's so fun," say several. is cool, fun and amazing teacher is a member of Generation Z, whose oldest members have recently entered the workforce, or are on the brink of doing so. Currently, CTA counts about 650 Gen Z members (some members choose not to disclose their age when they sign up). More are expected to join this fall. Born between 1995 and 2012, Gen Z has never known a world without smartphones, Amazon and social media. ey've expe- rienced the Great Recession, terrorist plots and fake news. They 're a huge cohort: Gen Z will make up 24 percent of the global workforce by 2020. While there has been lots of research on millennials, little has been invested in understanding Gen Z. ere are key differences between what motivates Gen Zers in their career and how they expect to be treated in the workplace, says California Faculty Association member Jean Twenge, psychology pro- fessor at San Diego State University, who refers to them as iGen. Twenge is author of iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebel- lious, More Tolerant, Less Happy — and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood. "Businesses and managers need to take note," says Twenge. Meet The future of the teaching profession By Sherry Posnick-Goodwin Photos by Scott Buschman 36 cta.org special report Miyuki Manzanedo

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