Commenters on the AJC Get Schooled blog debate whether schools worry too much about making learning fun. Here is a sampling of reader comments:
DC: Reminds me of boring preachers who bemoan their congregation "wants to be entertained," when what the congregation wants is just to not be bored to death. But developing an interesting and compelling message is much harder than a boring one; it's so much easier to just blame the congregation. Meanwhile, preachers who put the work into a more interesting message have churches exploding in growth. Perhaps the eduacracy could try the same thing. Work to develop a set of "messages" (daily lessons) that are interesting and compelling and can be delivered by a normal teacher. Use video game technology, or whatever works and is available.
GAC: These kids have been babysat by technology for so long, they have no clue how to engage in learning without it. They also have difficulty coming up with their own ideas without rifling through the Internet. I suppose we can thank technology, or the overuse of it, for that. School is not an arcade.
Jez: When schools try to be everything for everybody, they become nothing to anybody. Schools are to train the mind; athletics are to train the body; homes are to teach manners and values; churches are to teach religion. The idea learning should be fun is a cop-out, pure and simple.
Teacher: Our kids don't know basic math facts because drill has been labeled the work of the devil. Teachers are discouraged from having students complete exercises in memorization unless it's through a song, a game or something else that keeps them happy and entertained while they do it. Most teachers see the value of practice and focused instruction, but they are evaluated in a way that penalizes them if they employ those practices.
EastATL: Everybody gets a trophy, no one learns anything. That's the American public school system. Yes, it's a broad statement, but I'll stand by it.
Critic: Administrators want to see Cirque du Soleil every time they evaluate a teacher. It is unrealistic. I had to call home to document and submit reports on why students were absent after every three and six absences for my 180-plus high school student load. Many replies were, "Incarcerated." Some students attended class once a week or once a month. Try to engage and/or entertain those who are rarely there and don't care about grades or much of anything else.
Class: Look at the best students — the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. They are the ones who get down and work and spend long hours practicing the academics. Do they hate it? Maybe, but they know it will be worth it in the end.
Jerry: Yes, heaven help us if kids actually liked learning. "Fun" doesn't have to be just "play."
Observer: One of the most worrisome aspects of this insistence on making learning "fun" is that it tends to promote the inane over the essential. Because, after all, some subject matter lends itself much more readily to a fun teaching approach — even if the knowledge passed on is useless.
