Sometimes the most intellectual thoughts an educator hears is when a student speaks from the heart. He or she tells their true feelings toward the realities of the current education system. Sometimes it’s phrases you expect to hear.
- I just want to sit in a quiet class so I can concentrate.
- I lost the propensity for reading. Growing up in South Africa, my internet was not as prominent as it is here. I had to find ways of entertaining myself, one of which was reading.
- Having to sit through four years of English and Math in high school seems excessive when we could be engaging in topics that really identify more with our interests.
Each of these three phrases are worth giving a deeper conversation as the cause and effect fo the comments effect a child’s well-being and outlook on schools throughout their K-12 experience.
I just want to sit in a quiet class so I can concentrate. A third graders explained to me how much she missed interacting with her friends and how amazing it was to be able to see her teacher once she got back in the classroom. She was able to interact with her teacher, tell jokes, and experience that special bond between a student and their teacher. However, as more student returned to the classroom it became quickly overcrowded.
And not with people, there were outside distractions that have been on mute while in distance learning. Students asking to use the restrooms, individuals popping into the room unexpectedly, and teachers trying to corral Roomies and Zoomies as her teachers calls it.
At home, it was quiet and there were limited distractions. After all those months in solitude, being in the school building became more difficult.
I lost the propensity for reading. Growing up in South Africa, my internet was not as prominent as it is here. I had to find ways of entertaining myself, one of which was reading. Previously, we never sent home devices, but now students have high-powered devices and internet at their fingertips at all hours. Where students at home with limited access to the internet once had to rely on creativity and the world around them, now the internet was keeping them engaged (and at all hours).
As devices have been blocked or limited, the extra amount of time has allowed students to find workarounds to get total access. Great perseverance — in not staying bored.
Having to sit through four years of English and Math in high school seems excessive when we could be engaging in topics that really identify more with our interests. A high school senior gave me a reflection at the beginning of his senior year, and it made me wonder. At what point, does English 11 and English 12 become redundant of one another? Is there a point requiring four math credits in high school and sometimes five credit for those who take advanced math in 8th grade?
Different career aspirations require different skill sets. Are we still trying to cookie cutter our education system with taking the same courses as we did decades ago? Where are the four credit high school requirements in a STEM related cluster (i.e., electrical, HVAC, computer science, , carpentry, graphic design, etc.) courses at a technical high school or fine arts related clusters (i.e., graphic design, speech and theater)?
Sometimes we lose students with high ability because we try to fit them into the “education box” rather than allowing them to make their learning visible and engage them in areas they desire. What are some strategies school systems can take towards correcting these old practices?
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