Top Reasons Why Children Dislike Going to School
by Children are being forced to learn therefore they resent schools and the education system. A more participatory system could be more productive. Some students are isolated for other reasons. These include the feeling that that other students are stupid. Some students may be excluded by students for reasons which need to be addressed eg. disability, minority status, skin colour.
Picture 1. Teacher does the teaching. Students listen and learn? Students are saying they want participatory learning. Is there room to accomodate the students? Image via Wikipedia
Picture 2. Student’s assignments up for class discussion. Teacher takes leadership role. Could student participation be improved? Image via Wikipedia
Adults can never understand why children dislike going to school. Here are some to the top five reasons from children themselves.
- Quoted from a response, “Cause you have to listen to your teacher teach. Make teaching more fun.”
This respondent has identified listening to the teacher as the number one cause for her dislike for going to school. She suggests that teaching should be more fun. I guess this student is finding that the teacher is boring as she seems to talk a lot.
What can we learn from this child’s response? Here are my thoughts. I would love to hear from all readers, children and teachers.
This child says that learning by listening is not fun. This child knows that she would participate more if teaching was more fun. I am led to assume that many teachers talk a lot and expect children to listen and learn. The children are telling us differently. The children want to play and learn.
- Quoted from a child’s response, “My school has alot of cliques & stuff. It’s really annoying. Speaking of annoying, alot of kids in my school are dumb & get on my nerves.
But yea, be more fun & relate to the kids”.
This student respondent is feeling left out of cliques and may be other forms of participation. She feels annoyed. She feels that the kids in her school are dumb and they irritate her. Her solution to the problem is teaching should be more fun and it should relate to the kids.
It is my view that this child may be feeling different from the other kids because she feels she knows too much or feels that she is smarter than the others. This child needs to be listened to and be encouraged to participate. She should be informed that we all have different levels of knowledge and that it is alright to know less or to know more.
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Post CommentRana Sinha
On July 20, 2009 at 5:27 am
Very interesting. You’re right – some teachers can be boring. As a child I was bored to death in school as I was very precocious. I was alienated as I felt I knew more than others (life has later taken all those illusions away). Teachers were only interested in following the curricula and not interested in students.
One day the school bully, twice my size, started teasing me. I stood my ground and managed to twist his arm (literally) so that he fell on his face. I became the hero among fellow students and no one ever bothered me after that. Then I learnt to survive school and learn in spite of boring teachers. One teacher was very inspiring and connected.
Now teaching adults at tertiary level, I have noticed the damage done by bad teachers. Many people lose the ability or desire to connect to other people, question things and foster learning. Teachers with formally suitable degrees and qualifications can still be really bad teachers. Children have inbred sensors for detecting bad teachers and hate going to school.
Another reason I would say is horrendously boring school buildings modern architecture throws up all over the developed world. Standardized concrete boxes, with no details for the eye to rest on kills imagination and deadens the spirit. These don’t attract children.
Dr.DeSouza
On July 20, 2009 at 5:36 am
Dear Shergill,
Is there anything that you do not know? You write about bleeding, shock, orgasm, and now education. WoW?
Loved this piece of work> like the fact that you quoted real students. Some teachers do more harm than good.
clay hurtubise
On July 20, 2009 at 6:22 am
Good article: thought provoking.
Thanks,
clay
Stacey T Pollock
On July 20, 2009 at 6:46 am
Fascinating topic. Schooling is pretty boring especially if the teacher has not a heart in what they are teaching to the students. I call these teachers, textbook teachers.
Something also interesting to consider would be the fact that students need to also learn that not everything in life is based on fun and games. There will be times in life that we have to do things that we do not like before we can move onto things that we do like. Like for instance cooking dinner. It takes maybe 40 minutes to prepare a meal, and 10 minutes to eat it. Even though alot of people do not enjoy to prepare the meal, most would conclude that it is worth it for the fact that they enjoy to eat what they prepare. It is a harsh world at times. School is the first place we start to face true reality, when it comes to having to mix with others. There is no easy way to have to face some situations, except to jump right in.
Interesting article!
Shergill
On July 20, 2009 at 4:07 pm
HI Clay,
Great to read your comments, as usual.
In one of my articles I have inserted “swell bubbles” for Acne Vulgaris. You suggestion.
Shergill
On July 20, 2009 at 4:17 pm
HI Stacey,
Thank You for commenting on my article about why children dislike going to school.
I agree with your reasoning about how somethings are not enjoyable but they still need to be done.
Stacey, think this over. “Infact nothing is enjoyable in the initial stages. Exercising, weight lifting, learning to read, etc”.
Would it not be better if the initial experiences of school could be made pleasurable. (If possible). Then the pain of learning may becoome acceptable. Just another perspective on the same issue.