Generation Reflection

This was a very interesting article. In my summer job, which is my main work environment, I work entirely with people in my own generation, excepting our director and assistant director. While I’m hesitant to put everybody into a big group with the same traits, I understand that culture over time does produce certain trends, and the article is not necessarily declaring these as universal truths. That being said, I think this is a fascinating collection of commonalities and differences between generational groups. One reason that this article is great is because failure to notice common differences between generations can definitely lead to protraction of one’s own generational traits. The example about the Gen. Y manager who offered a vacation to a Boomer instead of a bonus is a good example of this – the Gen. Y manager may have preferred a vacation to a bonus, and assumed that this was true for other coworkers and employees.

As a member of Generation Y, I see myself working for administrators in the two generations above me, at least right away when I begin teaching. I will also be working with these generations, in addition to my own age-peers. Given my own interest in working together with other teachers, it is very likely that I will be collaborating with members of other generations. Communication in particular will be a topic that I will have to pay particular attention to.