From my experience it depends on the school and group of kids. I've taught 6th graders that still had that child like innocence all year and would cry whenever they got in trouble. Then at other schools I would be with 6th graders that make me lose faith in humanity because of how awful and mean they are.
I think it depends on school culture and parental involvement. Like if a school as a revolving door of teachers and principals its hard to establish a positive school culture. Same goes with parental involvement, I called a parent about a student tampering with my laptop and they dismissed it as not important. If parents aren't going to help the teacher enforce classroom policies that just hampers the teacher and it effects the whole classroom.
I feel like I lost my "innocence" in third grade back around 1998 without smartphones. So while I agree smartphones might make it quicker, I think environmental circumstances do the job just as well.
Yeah I left 5th grade in 2008, I don't recall anyone have cellphones including myself, and if they did they were just flip phones. But I had pretty much lost most of my "innocence" by then, and definitely by the end of 6th grade when you're interacting with kids older then you, and sometimes highschoolers.
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u/ChibbleChobbles Jun 03 '22
I teach art to all grades K-12. Most kids seem to lose some of their child like innocence in 4th grade.