Breaking news! A nationally-representative poll of more than 1,000 teenagers finds that… students are still bored. Here are some key findings:
- 64% of teenagers think that school is boring
- 70% of teenagers say that all or most of their classmates are bored in class
- Only 41% of teenagers like going to school
- Only 40% of teenagers think that their homework helps them learn
- 30% of teenagers say that school is a waste of time
- Only 19% of teenagers say that most of their classmates want to be in school
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These results just confirm earlier findings. This is a system that is fundamentally BROKEN. Everyone is expressing concern about students’ chronic absenteeism. But we’re just offering them the same old boring stuff. That’s not a successful sales pitch for a student who doesn’t want to come to school, is it?
What will we do about these recent findings? Probably the same thing that we’ve done in the past: nothing. As I said in an earlier post:
The biggest indictment of our schools is not their failure to raise test scores above some politically-determined line of ‘proficiency.’ It’s that – day in and day out – they routinely ignore the fact that our children are bored, disengaged, and disempowered. We’ve known this forever, but we have yet to really care about it in a way that would drive substantive changes in practice. The disenfranchisement of our youth continues to happen in the very institutions that are allegedly preparing them to be ‘life long learners.’
Shame on us.
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I wonder how this compares to when I was in school in the 1960s. Sounds pretty much the same to me. Was there ever a time when kids really LIKED being in school?
We never seem to ask our students whatbtheynwant to know.
Bored, disengaged, and disempowered = bad behavior….especially in tween/teen boys. The “system” doesn’t respect students(or student’s time) in its march for better standardized test scores via Common Bore/curriculum in a can. No kid likes to get up at the crack of dawn to go to school (they NEVER have!) but if it is made worthwhile, respectful and engaging the tone will change.
Scott, just like you ended your post with “Shame on us,” we need to listen to our kids. Invite them to share what school could be like so they are engaged and want to be there. Yet, all this talk about engagement doesn’t transfer to what teachers are mandated to keep the focus on: content, rigor, grading, homework, pacing guides, curriculum that is relevant. What happened to meeting all students’ needs?
Or this idea of “school”, it’s time to rethink teaching and learning (again) so it is meaningful, authentic, and personal. Does it have to happen only in school? We need to pause and bring in students’ voices. We need to stop and rethink the teachers’ roles. Invite the teachers so they have a voice. Need to shake up the status quo because it is not working. Whew! I’ve been trying to do this for over 30 years along with many of my colleagues like you, Scott. Thanks for this post!