Children bored in school? Should they work harder or should teachers?
When children complain of being bored in school, who is at fault — the teachers or the kids?
Parents often report their kids are bored in school, usually for one of two reasons; their child is not being challenged because the material is too basic or the teacher delivers lessons in the dullest way possible.
But teachers complain they are increasingly being told they have to hold children’s rapt attention because this is a generation used to being entertained. Today, kids grow up in an environment where boredom is vanquished by video games, smartphones, Netflix and cool new apps. But school sometimes require they sit and listen to complex and challenging material.
Are we asking too much of teachers? Do we expect them to essentially tap dance their way through the day, clicking their heels faster and faster to hold onto children’s attention?
To read more about this issue, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.
About the Author
Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.
