Today I was fortunate enough to
attend a un-conference I helped plan #edcampphx. I sat in a session entitled Student Management/Autonomy, as
much as I enjoyed the people in the group and the learning atmosphere at EdCamp
something very concerning was stated and it really did not sink in until hours
later.
The
statement made was that kids don’t even care about school. Often it seems as though kids “care”
about video games, TV, their phone but not their education. I wonder in many cases if we ever
really give children something to care about in school.
Today we were hearing praise after
praise about how much everyone loved the EdCamp forum, where educators learned
from each, their views were valued, their expertise considered. However many times in education we are
forced to be a wee bit hypocritical.
We as teachers want autonomy in our classroom, we want a voice in our
learning but often we do not give that to our students. Students are generally in classrooms
that cover the standards but never truly uncover application level
understanding of those concepts.
Sure the students seem as though
they do not care about school and truthfully in the current state of education
that may in fact be true. However
generally speaking children are no different today than we were. They are motivated when they are given
the opportunity to have their thoughts matter. Kids love to be challenged, which is one reason they can sit
for hours on a video game. We do
not challenge kids to apply their knowledge at high levels, which in turn leads
to this “uncaring” attitude to schools.
Bottom line children do care about
what challenges them. So perhaps
the statement was actually correct kids don’t care about school, because they
are not challenged to think. We
ought to be concerned that in education we are “covering” the standards these
days while destroying high level thinking. The common core is seen as the savior, however it will fix
nothing if we do not begin to change practice.
Interesting to see that kids don't care about school and yet . . .
ReplyDeleteTwo of the volunteers there today were former students who were grateful for their time at an "underperforming" middle school. One of them now wants to be a history teacher (and she credits that to Javi and me). They care, but they care when it matters.
Kids want and need to be challenged, to know their ideas matter. To experience true rigor through application of knowledge.
DeleteThey want to do work that matters now--not ten years from now. Too often we are teaching them through the lens of "you'll need this someday."
ReplyDelete"So perhaps the statement was actually correct kids don’t care about school, because they are not challenged to
ReplyDeletethink. "
Awesome post. I might also add that the challenges cannot always come from us. When the teacher is the only one creating the challenges, they STILL own the learning. The challenges need to come from the students about topics they are interested in.
Thanks for a great read!
Excellent point regarding children adding to the challenges with topics they are interested in. Thanks for the feedback!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMy 7 year old son saw your subject line and asked, Why did he say that? Without school I would not learn." At this age, for him, he cannot comprehend another kid not Caring about school.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned whenever I hear someone in Education expressing such a thought. It is not true. More and more, I am coming to believe that it is all about Building Relationships.
Marty,
DeleteI too have a 7 year old and he most likely would have said the same thing. He is in a great school where he is challenged to think and believe that the best part of education is the thirst for more knowledge. Unfortunately in our multiple choice test first, ask questions later education culture we need to be concerned with the disconnect between students and authentic learning. I agree that building relationships or even a focus on the culture of a school is paramount to it's success.
I agree, Marty, that building relationships is key. We can offer opportunities and provide conditions for students to be challenged and engage in higher level thinking, but if we have not built strong relationships of mutual respect with our students, what will motivate them to take on the challenges we present?
DeleteI believe what you talk about, Chad, is important to what makes school worth caring about. But in terms of actually caring about school in the first place, I believe relationships are the gateway, and must come first.
Agreed, and just to clarify I do not think any child initially does not care about school. It is a side effect of our race to cover the standards without giving time to authentic application. Relationships and culture are huge to the effectiveness of any classroom or school
DeleteHello, my name is Ashley Mothershead. I am a sophomore at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL working to become an elementary teacher. I believe what you said in this post is true! Young students do not care about school anymore because they are no longer being challenged. In the 21st century kids are learning so much faster and more advanced; pen and paper aren't going to cut it anymore. We have to move with the times and engage the children more and challenge their brains. Thank you for this post. If you have any questions or comments you can email me at ashleymo0817@gmail.com or view my class blog at mothersheadashleyedm310.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteKristen,
DeleteThanks so much for the comments. I certainly hope that we continue to push to make strides in what we consider important components of a quality education.
When I hear remarks like this, my response is, "What is your evidence?" I've learned to be skeptical of teachers who claim to know what a student feels or cares about unless they give direct quotations from the child. Sometimes, a child who is quiet cares too much about their grade and doesn't want to get an answer wrong. Soemtimes, a child who already understands the work cares about learning more and that's why they're having a side conversation. I feel like one of the side effects of some of the "data-driven instruction" is that we de-emphasize actually talking to students and finding out what they do care about.
ReplyDeleteGretel,
ReplyDeleteLoved your response, I feel the same way when we people make blanket statements. Don't care also can be a pretty strong statement when what really is happening is a move away from the personal side of learning. I appreciate you comments!