“Grandpa, Wake Up! It’s the 21st Century!” An Opportunity for Gen Zs to Educate the Baby Boomers

Abstract

Baby Boomer teachers are now beginning to teach Generation Z students, many of whom were born in the 21st century. These students have grown up with state-of-the art technology and social media, which is a much different environment than many of their Baby Boomer teachers. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the viewpoints of both the Baby Boomer teachers and the Generation Z students. Initially, the study focused on the characteristics of the various generations from the Silent Generation to Generation Z. This knowledge formed the basis of an empirical survey to further understand characteristics, beliefs, skills, and practices of Baby Boomers and Generation Zs and how they can better communicate with each other and coexist in an educational environment. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the real-time application of a new teaching model, using much greater technology at all levels of education, became an instant reality. The Generation Z authors were able to provide a firsthand experience in this paper on the impact of these new teaching methods on their educational experience. This paper can serve as a guide going forward on how educational institutions can effectively adapt to real-world situations in consideration of the different generations of individuals being involved.