Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Kids all over the world think school is useless; does anyone care?


People get to my column in many ways, but quite often they just type something into Google. Here is what they typed into Google this week that got them to various columns I have written about school. (The country the writers came from is listed first.):


US: how many kids hate high school

Romania: hating high school

Morocco: advice to students who hate school

Serbia: hating high school

Guam: school subjects are useless

France: why do students not like school

South Africa: school taught me of how useless aim

US: why i hated high school

Romania: why school is pointless

US: reasons why high school is useless

Kuwait: why I hate high school educational

US: i hate high schoolers

US: highschool is useless

US: useless high school classes

US: i hate high school and i dont want to be there

Canada: why high school is useless

Canada: why high school is useless

UK: why do we have education

US: how to not hate high school

US: isnt school useless

Canada: why high school is useless

US: why school is pointless

US: useless school subjects

US: school is bad for children

US: useless information learned in highschool

UK: what to do when you hate high school

Spain: hate high school

US: i despise high school

US: what does high school teach you

Canada: i hate high school

Canada: books about kids hating high school

Australia: high school for kids who hate school

Brazil: a great deal of what students learn in school these days is a waste of time

US: high school dont teach you anything

India: academic knowledge taught in high school is worthless if they don't prepare us for own decision

US: useless school subjects


I just though I’d take note of this phenomenon. While people debate Common Core, or worry about evaluating teachers, or raising test scores, or getting their kids into a good school, try to remember this. Most kids are miserable in school. We need to stop teaching the silly stuff we teach in high school and stop creating high schools that make students miserable.  Apparently we do this in most every country.

It is easy to change all this. (Amazingly the answer is not MOOCs.)

We can change it my letting kids learn what they want to learn in way that is fun. It is that simple. Technology can help with this. A reasonable curriculum could help with this. Thinking kids have a right enjoy their lives could help with this. Unfortunately, politicians who talk about reform aren’t helping nor are they trying to address the real issues. They never really worry about the kids at all. 

The people who wrote these things into Google are right. School is useless. Time to do something about it.