Why do so many kids hate school these days/don't want to go?

[Anonymous]

Not to stim, sorry for the autocorrect

[Anonymous]

I hated school in kindergarten in 1983 because my teacher was mean. I got an anxious stomach ache every morning. It wasn’t because of screens or active shooter drills or teaching to the test or because my parents allowed. It was a straight up mean teacher. I had nice to regular teachers after that and I stopped hating school.

[Anonymous]

It’s loud all day there. Overstimulating. Constant work. Loss of control. Boring. Teachers lack skill set to teach using multi-sensory approaches. Lots of tests. They use pre-assessment, assessments, just-in-time quick checks, exit ticket, index card quick test, computerized tests, practice test questions, iReady math, iReady reading and math, a ton of read a passage and answer the questions about the passage (comprehension test), SOL questions, VGA math and reading, SEL questionnaires, and so forth. The teachers spend too much time and emphasis on tests in the elementary school. This would be a grind. Teachers still roll out Google slide decks for units at elementary level. They use a ton of Brain Pop videos. They force writing prompts without teaching how to write or spell. They carry heavy laptops around to each class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When have kids not hated school? It's a thing.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When have kids not hated school? It's a thing.

I did too and so did many of my friends. The difference is we went. We didn’t refuse for days on end.

The internet has changed all of that. Now they need it to keep up with any assignments and because of this, they don’t see value in going into the classroom at all. They also don’t need to go to school to see friends when they can socialize online.

So is the answer to take it all away? Then they can’t complete anything for school when they are home. It’s the never ending terrible cycle. We are considering private but have friends who did that and their kid is still refusing. I don’t know what to do.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t like school but I did it. I found it tedious and not matching my learning style. But I’m NT. And with the help of anxiety meds got through it and on paper I “did well”

My ASD/ADHD 2e hates school. She has school refusal. Her description makes more sense “This isn’t how I learn. It makes me tired and frustrated to have to do it this way. What is the point?!” So,!she uses her limited attention span to sit in a seat, control her stims, and do “work” not meant for her brain. By the time shes actually “learning” she’s used 90% of her energy.

And even the youngest kids are completely aware of school shootings. They started shooter drills at age 3. Put it all together, why would anyone want to physically go to school??

[Anonymous]

I have been a high teacher for 15 years. The first year the kids hated me, 2nd and 3rd I was still developing. I became a favorite teacher in the next few years. Students thought I was fair, charismatic, smart, and caring. I was respected and my words had some weight behind them. Students may not remember the content, but they will always remember the teacher. The last few years I have noticed students tuning me out, my lessons are too slow, and I don't have that strong influence any more. They are too shy for group work, lectures are too long, and phones are hard to resist. I teach both AP and regular students. I dont worry about my AP kids, they suffer from the same effects but are compartively fine and are usually more well equiped. But they are only the 10%, the rest of 90% can't be bother. Phone addiction, and lack of friendships/peer cohesion are what I think make schools awful for some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When have kids not hated school? It's a thing.

This. It’s really boring, and they aren’t learning anything useful for the most part.

[Anonymous]

Why do they hate it? Some teachers are bullies. Some teachers are racist or sexist. The material moves much too slowly. There is a lot of unnecessary busy work. Some teachers don’t know or understand the material, and in worst case scenarios lash out at kids who ask questions or point out errors. Useful feedback on work is rare, so it seems pointless to do the work. Grades often feel subjective. The nature of HS forces kids to take a lot of classes that they have zero interest in. By MS and HS, many kids do not have the foundation in math or reading or writing (because the school doesn’t provide adequate instruction) to do the higher level work so they just end up feeling dumb and/or attacked all day.

Would you like to go to work every day in an environment like the one described above? Maybe you would say, suck it up, I do”. But, adults are getting paid. Kids don’t get paid.

BTW, before you flame. I am a parent and a tutor. Each statement above could be supported by personal experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, active shooter drills, hearing about school shootings on the regular, teachers that are overworked and underpaid probably give off a little stress, not being able to use their coping skills if they need to, the entire environment is just a source of stress.

Exactly this. How about invest in school, teachers, let students move around, integrate the outdoors instead of treating school like a prison. Also, everyone is trying to inflict forced "everything is fine and normal" when so many have gone through so many familial losses since 2020

[Anonymous]

Kids should have much less academic work until 3rd grade. These kids have had their brains permanently changed by over-doing worksheets and having to sit still too early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When have kids not hated school? It's a thing.

This.

Another This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kiddo felt that way in public. She was trying to hide her anxiety and dyslexia (before we knew they existed) from her teachers and peers. It was exhausting. Once we got her diagnosed, started tutors/treatment and pulled her out of FCPS she no longer hated school. Today she loves her small non-profit LD school, never complains about going and says how much she likes it. They don't have standardized testing in the lower grades, kids get all the accommodations needed, and there's no fighting for anything. I wish public was this way...

What school!?

Oakwood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much testing, shooter drills and knowing there is a potential for a mass casualty event at school every day (something we didn't have to deal with), teachers who are stressed for the same reasons students are and underpaid in addition, crowded schools.

We just had duck and cover drills for nukes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My observation is that my kid dislikes school because so much of it is about controlling the students and avoiding behaviors deemed inconvenient (not even bad behavior, just inconvenient behavior). She likes learning and usually enjoys the academic aspects of school. But she does not like going to school because she spends so much of the day being told she must be quiet, still, and perform repetitive and rote behaviors that are not alway related to learning. A lot of the rules, I can't even justify, like being told they must not talk during lunch (I get it's more convenient for teachers and enables a shorter lunch, but it's like a rule you'd have in a prison), having recess taken away as a punishment (hello, counterproductive, have you met children?), or issuing class wide rewards and punishment in an effort to control the behavior of a minority of kids who likely need a different approach entirely.

I can't wait to get my kid out of this school.

What a laundry list of complaints. Sounds like homeschooling is right for you.

I complete agree with her and what she says is 100 percent accurate for my kids' fcps es.