In education, is age really just a number?

by Zani Olley
Lion’s Roar Staff

You walk into your class on the first day of school and look at the person in front of the room. Immediately,
you form an impression of this person who will be teaching you for the next semester or more.
What do you think when the teacher appears to be over 60? Under 30? What are the thoughts going through
your head as you begin a journey of learning?
There will always be as wide range in the ages of our school’s faulty members. A survey of teachers
revealed recently that your instructor can be as young as 23 or as old as 71.
Students tend to form opinions of their teachers early on, and may believe that younger teachers can be
more relatable than the older ones.
Senior Dominic Rose said, “I think that younger teachers are more willing to have a connection with
students, so it's easier for them to have deeper conversations with and respect them better than older teachers.”
Sham Dib, a classmate of Rose’s, has a similar opinion. She believes that, “A younger teacher has more
control over the kids and the older teacher can not relate as much.”
Research by the Learning Policy Institute indicates that while Rose and Dib are correct in some ways,
they may also be missing something big. The Institute found that teaching is “positively associated with
student achievement gains throughout a teacher’s career. Gains in teacher effectiveness associated with
experience are most steep in teachers’ initial years, but continue to be significant as teachers reach the second,
and often third, decades of their careers.”
Several Lincoln students agree that older or more experienced teachers surpass younger or less
experienced teachers in the classroom. Sophomore Francesca Marzilli said, “The younger the teacher, usually
the rowdier the class because they respect the teacher less and are less scared of the teacher.”
Some students find older teachers easier to get along with than younger teachers and find their
experience more beneficial. Owen Boulay agrees with Marzilli. simply saying, “Older teachers are better”.
Of course these opinions can depend on who the teacher is. But Julian Ondis, a sophomore, had a
neutral and somewhat surprising opinion: “Older teachers are cooler, but younger teachers are more relatable.”
With student support, we uncovered a few suspects for who the oldest and youngest teachers at LHS
might be. Eventually I came across Mr. Larry Desrosiers, who has been teaching since 1973 and thought that,
“...no, I don't think my students' behavior is influenced by my age.” Desroisers did say that he thought that
students would have a different outlook upon this question, but that is how he sees it.
On the other hand, Ms. Eleni Grammas, who has been teaching math at LHS since 2020 believes that
her age does have an effect on the classroom culture.
“I do think my age influences how my students act towards me in certain situations,” Grammas said. “I
think some students have an easier time connecting with me because of my age.”
Ms. Kelsey McIntosh, who has been teaching since 2020, had a similar outlook.
 “I definitely think my age influences my relationships with students,” McIntosh said. “As a young
teacher, I find that many students and I have similar interests. They know that I was in their shoes a short time
ago, which I think definitely helps build a connection!”
However, even newer teachers value the benefits of age and experience. Ms. Megan Monte, new this
year to the ELA Department, believes that by telling her students her age, they would not treat her with the
same respect that they afford an older teacher.
“I never tell students my age, because I do not want assumptions made about me or my character based
on a number,” the English teacher said. “It's obvious, of course, that I'm on the younger side, but I make sure to
act in a way that makes clear that I am the adult/teacher in the room. I think that students will tell me things
that they would not tell other teachers - like what's going on in their lives, things revolving around social media,
etc. - because I might be considered more ‘relatable.’ But, at the end of the day, I make it clear that I value
mutual respect, and that I am a teacher who should be treated as any other teacher in the school.”
Those who have spent more years in the school department have seen many changes. Desrosiers
believes the use of technology has been very impactful in many classrooms, but not so much what he is
teaching, “Since I started teaching in 1973, yes, a lot has changed, most specifically the use of technology, and
the absolute scary attachment many kids have to their phones,” he said. “Kids are kids though, and that hasn't
changed much.”
Grammas started working at Lincoln High School right after graduating college, so things have only
slightly changed. “Therefore, my daily routine of waking up and attending classes has changed to waking up
and teaching,” she said.
Monte on the other hand worked first in an eighth grade classroom before coming to LHS. She learned
a lot on the middle school level before coming to work with high school students. “It was a good place for me to
learn about the type of teacher I want to be, the classroom environment I want to create, and how I want to
handle myself in the classroom,” she said. “I'm constantly learning and adapting - as any teacher does (no
matter their experience level) - but I'm confident in my abilities and feel sound in my decisions.”
If it is true that teachers’ ages affect their relationships with their students, then do their ages affect
their relationships with their colleagues?
Desrosiers said that he had not seen any generational differences in the classroom. “Of course,” he said,
“there are generational issues, but as far as I am concerned, French is French and Spanish is Spanish, no
matter from what age it is coming from.”
Grammas had a differing opinion. She thought that there can be divides but that they collaborate to try
and strengthen their skills. “There can be generational divides within departments and in the school. For
example, being a young educator I would say technology is sometimes easier for me to navigate and implement
in my classroom. However, all departments do a great job of learning and testing technologies. We all
collaborate frequently to share new tools and strategies.”
Monte said that she loves department meetings and feels that her thoughts are always valued by the
other teachers in the English department. “Younger teachers may have fewer strong opinions on matters vs
older teachers - simply because they're learning what their opinions are - but if your department is as
wonderful as mine, you never feel unimportant.” She felt as though her department did an excellent job at
making her input valid.
Teachers and students have differing opinions on how they might see a teacher's age in the classroom.
But these teachers pour everything that they have into their work and deserve to be treated with respect no
matter their age. It might be the first thing students notice about a teacher, but hopefully they get to know the
teacher for who they are on the inside.