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Reflections from the Road:
COVID, Convenience, and the Social Development of Today’s Seniors

By Robb Genetelli, Dean of Students, Landmark High School

I am writing this after returning from five days in Disney World with sixty high school seniors. Anyone who has ever traveled with teenagers knows that these trips are equal parts logistics, laughter, exhaustion, and the occasional teachable moment. Airports, buses, crowded parks, long food lines, lost phones, misplaced backpacks, and late-night conversations have a way of revealing who students really are when school structures fall away.

And this group revealed something worth reflecting on.

Teens Struggling With Basic Communication

Watching them move through the parks, interact with hotel staff, order food, navigate crowds, and negotiate plans with one another, I was struck by how many small social tasks required a bit of coaching. Not in a concerning way, but in a noticeable one. Moments that previous classes seemed to handle instinctively now required a pause.

A student hesitated before approaching a counter to ask a question. Another seemed unsure how to politely step into a conversation with a staff member. A group struggled briefly to clarify a food order or navigate a crowded space. These were not failures. They were simply moments of uncertainty in situations that once served as routine practice.

These students are capable, thoughtful, and kind young adults. But they are also members of a generation whose middle school years, sixth, seventh, and part of eighth grade, unfolded during the most socially restrictive period most of us have experienced.

And that disruption matters.

Practice Makes Permanent

Middle school is a critical time for developing the subtle, unwritten rules of social interaction. It is when adolescents begin to learn how to read a room, approach adults, navigate unfamiliar situations, and build the confidence to engage with the world around them. These skills are not taught through formal instruction. They are developed through repetition, through small, everyday interactions.

Ordering food at a counter. Asking for help in a store. Making small talk while waiting in line. Clarifying a mistake. These moments seem insignificant, but they are foundational.

For many of today’s high school seniors, those opportunities simply disappeared.

When the world began to reopen, another shift had already taken hold. Technology had stepped in to fill the gap. Mobile ordering, app-based services, and digital communication made it possible to move through daily life with minimal direct interaction. What began as a necessary adaptation became a lasting habit.

Even in a place like Disney World, designed for shared human experience, much of the day can now be navigated through a screen. Food is ordered on an app. Wait times are tracked digitally. Plans are adjusted without ever speaking to another person.

The result is subtle but significant. Many of the small, low-stakes interactions that once helped young people build social confidence have been reduced or removed altogether.

What I witnessed on the trip, however, was not a deficit; it was an opportunity.

Small Steps. Big Success.

Once students were nudged into these situations, they adapted quickly. A student who hesitated to order food early in the trip became the spokesperson for their group by the end. Another who seemed unsure about approaching a staff member later helped a peer resolve an issue at the hotel desk. Groups began to negotiate plans more fluidly, demonstrating increasing confidence and independence.

This is an important reminder that young people are remarkably resilient. When given the chance, they learn quickly.

The challenge before us is not to critique this generation, but to recognize where development was interrupted and to intentionally create opportunities to rebuild those skills.

Social confidence, like any skill, develops through practice. It grows when students are encouraged to step forward, to engage, to navigate discomfort, and to manage small, real-world interactions on their own.

For schools and families, this work is both simple and essential. Encourage students to order their own meals. Ask them to check themselves in at appointments. Prompt them to seek help directly rather than relying on others. Support them in handling small mistakes and misunderstandings independently.

These moments are not insignificant. They are the building blocks of independence.

What I saw in Disney was not a generation lacking social skills, but one that has had fewer opportunities to practice them. The capacity is there. The willingness is there. What is needed is intentional exposure and encouragement.

On our final night, I watched groups of students gather outside the hotel, talking, laughing, making plans for the morning. No phones in sight. Just teenagers being together, navigating conversation, and enjoying one another’s company.

It was a simple moment, but an important one.

It reminded me that, at their core, young people still learn the same way they always have, through experience, through interaction, and through the freedom to try, stumble, and grow.

Our role is not to worry that they have fallen behind, but to ensure they are given every opportunity to move forward.

And they will.

About the Author

Robb Genetelli has been the Dean of Students at Landmark High School since 1996. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies and a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Student Development, both from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Robb and his wife, Allison, have raised their two children on the Landmark campus, where they continue to reside. He served on the board of the Small Boarding Schools Association for a decade, including six years as president. In 2018, he received the Gorman Award for his outstanding contribution to the benefit and advancement of small boarding schools. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Robb co-teaches a senior study skills class called Character and Leadership, which emphasizes values, reflection, and personal growth. Beyond Landmark, he travels the country speaking on topics related to learning disabilities, adolescent development, and the broader landscape of education. In his free time, he enjoys reading as well as boating and hiking with his family in New Hampshire.