I've been working with third graders for two semesters now and my little brother is in third grade currently. One thing I've observed is that third graders and college kids are basically the same brand of person. I tell everyone this, with mixed results. I get people who completely understand what I mean or I'm left explaining it to someone who just stares at me blankly. Either way, I've discussed it many times so far this semester. As memes develop and pop culture grows, third graders and college students simply keep acting the same way.
1. Constant dabbing.
Whether it's a photo of college students or of third graders, you'll find at least one person dabbing in it. Sneezes are an occasion to dab and it seems like the norm to dab in agreement. The other day, I had to ask a group to stop dabbing in class. When hanging out with friends, it's almost dangerous to walk past someone in case they dab (and to my friends reading this, you know who you are).
2. Music taste.
Sometimes, during our more relaxed time, we let our students listen to a kid-friendly Pandora station of current pop culture songs. The same songs that might play at a college dance, students are singing word-for-word. On the way into school, we listen to stations such as Q102 and my kids come in singing the same songs that I was jamming to that morning. Also, the whipping and line dancing does not change as you get older.
3. Memes and internet lingo.
First of all, please just reference the two photos above. The one on the left is my brother, but the one on the right is a friend of mine at Arcadia. We send stupid gifs and memes in text. Things like "LOL" and emojis are the norm, whether I'm talking to a 9 year old or a 20 year old. The newest thing for kids is these LED shoes and since then, my classroom has exploded with people saying "what are those?" Even if memes come around a bit later for kids, they still yell out the same memes I can count on my friends to quote.
4. Really, just interests in general.
At the beginning of the year, one of my students was doing his "Me in a Bag" presentation. He talked about Star Wars, sharks, and Halloween. My co-teacher looks at me and just says "Katey, he's you." From the movies we watch to the books we read, half the time we're just overgrown kids. For Halloween this year, I saw an 8 year old boy dressed as Darth Vader and a 19 year old boy dressed as Kylo Ren. My little brother and my friend have matching Minecraft hoodies. A common question from my students is "Ms. Hoffman, did you watch ________ last night?" One of my students came to a Halloween thing in a Batgirl costume, while the same night I dressed up as Jason Todd (one of the Robins).
5. Food.
My roommates and I have a food structure. On it, you'll find: Finding Dory gummies, Halloween pretzels, candy, and Lucky Charms. In my student's lunchboxes, you'll find food along the same vein. For dinner, I eat mac and cheese and for lunch, peanut butter and jelly. My littlest brother survives on the same foods every day. Sometimes, when I'm eating lunch with my students, I forget what I packed and what they did. Who needs health? I get the same joy from dinosaur chicken nuggets as I did when I was 8.
6. How much we rely on our adults.
At a young age, we needed adults for everything. They tell us what to do and when to do it. In high school, we learned to resent that. There are countless articles online from college students about what they've learned to appreciate about their parents. When you were a kid, you probably asked your parents/guardians about everything. You thought they knew all the answers. Now, college students know better, but there are still some things only real adults can know. I'm constantly asking my dad about tax forms and I call my grandparents about recipes constantly. In high school, I would have totally been ashamed to admit I needed my parents, but now I know I do. My students are always telling me what their parents have to say.
Sometimes, I marvel at how grown up the things my students say seem. Other times, I'm laughing at my friends because I feel as though they're behaving like they're 8 years old. Then I realize, it's because we, as college kids, are just third grade adults.
