Generations

This article describes the differences of generations in the workplace. Right now there are four different generations all working together. There are veterans, who are born before 1945. Then there are the baby boomers, like my mom. I fit into the generation Y category since I was born in 1989. Each generation has its own set of personal and lifestyle characteristics and also uses different skills and methods in the workplace. The challenge for any business is to learn how to use each generation to its full potential and also how to help them work together with each other. This can be challenging when each generation is predisposed to do the same task in different ways.
While I think that these characteristics may hold true in a broad sense, I don’t think that every person fits perfectly into any one category. For instance, my mom was born in 1962, is very technological and would probably prefer to send an email than to communicate in person. What I would like to know is how this article applies to teaching. While I understand that I will have colleagues who fit in each generational group and that collaboration among teachers occurs, I feel that a school environment is a lot different that an office building with rows upon rows of cubicles. Also, how am I supposed to use this information in regards to my professional interactions? I personally don’t see the relevance of this article.