Why do kids hate school? (college, private school, logic, classroom)

[jps-teacher]

[SIZE=3][/SIZE][SIZE=3]http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/the-brain/why-do-kids-think-school-stink.htm l[/SIZE]

[flyers29]

Makes sense, but is there really a better alternative?

[Aconite]

A better alternative for the individual child or for the masses?

[golfgal]

I think that most kids that say they hate school say that because they think they are supposed to hate school. In my experience the vast majority of kids LOVE school.

[TXRunner]

I'd say most kids like some aspects of school. They aren't going to like everything. If someone forced me to do choir or sewing I wouldn't like it no matter what twist they put onto it. Sometimes when kids say they love a certain teacher or class it's because there is no discipline in the class, the kids do whatever they want. Parents have to cultivate a love of learning. In the classroom there are some kids that only like projects, others that only like games, some kids believe it or not don't like projects and games and would like to just do math problems. One student from Asia asks me why we have to do projects, why can't we just do some more advanced math problems instead of wasting time on it. You can't make everyone happy and I think sometimes teachers worry too much about making everyone happy. The students should generally like and respect the teacher, but they will not love everything that you do, sometimes there is work to be done.

[josmchicago]

Because anytime you are told you have to do something with no flexibility, you are going to hate it.

[RobE]

This is a complex question, but one thing missing from the article is the role of school personality in how a student feels about education.

In my case, when I entered high school, the first school I went to was an uncomfortable fit for me. I never really felt connected to it and I basically started shutting down. I felt suffocated and trapped. Had I remained there, I probably would have dropped out at some point.

Fortunately for me, we moved to another city about half an hour away just before the second semester of my sophomore year began and my new school was right in my comfort zone culturally. So I ended up actually enjoying high school and graduated and then went on to college and earned a BA.

Yeah, there were classes at the news school I wasn't particularly interested in nor did I think a couple of my teachers had any business teaching anyone anything. But that move to the new school was a psychological lifesaver for me. This is why I am in favor of student choice so that they can attend a school that they feel comfortable in.

[uptown_urbanist]

I think a lot of kids do like school. Obviously not all do, but for most kids I think they like some aspects and don't like others. Some love everything, others hate everything.

I enjoyed most parts of school. I didn't like waking up early to be at school by 7:00 am, I hated having to swim in gym, and I was more than happy to say goodbye to calculus. In general, though, while not every day was exciting and fulfilling, and while not every class was wonderful, overall I liked it, and so did many of my friends.

[Peggy Anne]

Some things never change. I will tell you why I hated school. Crowded. Fights that broke out. Pecking order. No emphasis on the individual, but more an effort to make us conform to the needs of society.

Smelly gym class. Being stuck in a tight room with 30 kids having to interact, and watch those who were jerks. Private school would have been better for me. I hated when children were told that they had to "measure up" to other people. That's ridiculous. We were told to compete. Hated that, too. Ball games, forced assemblies, forced to dance. Forced to sing the rah rah songs. barf ! We were told that we had to be part of a team. Red team bad. Blue team good ? what kind of garbage is that??? Yuck. Anyone else relate ?

[StilltheSame]

Kids hate school for the same reasons adults hate work.