Who thinks it is ridiculous when someone says his/her child is bored in school?

[Anonymous]

I think it's normal for kids to be bored in any situation where they have to sit still for a length of time and pay attention when they'd probably rather do other things.

But I think it's actually useful for kids to be bored every now and again, especially in school and especially in a situation where, no, they can't just get up and do something else.

Why? Because that is life!!! Most people aren't entertained and completely engaged ALL of the time they are at work. Everyone has grunt work at times, has to do stuff they'd rather not, and often has to still still and pay attention to people, even though they're not really learning anything new and exciting.

Part of preparing kids for life is preparing them for all aspects.

The biggest issue I have with Montessori schools is that the kids I've known who attend them are not good at sitting still or behaving when they don't get to choose what they do (i.e. my friends and their kids are over and the kids have to be patient while the adults talk). I can't imagine what will happen when those kids go to college and have to sit through lectures or when they go out into the work world and function in a structured environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the OP. What cannot a child be bored at school? If the school don't teach new things and repeat over and over stuff they already know, why cannot they be bored? Haven't we all been bored by lectures and meetings and stuff? Why cannot a kid be bored?

Didn't you read OP's response?

Its because OP was a bright child and does not recall being bored in elementary school.
Therefore, a kid cannot be bored that young... at least not until high school physics.

I am the first one to say I hate it when adults say that they are bored. No adults should be bored, ever. Unless they are in prison with no reading materials. I don't think a child can be bored at home either, if we are talking about the typical DCUM homes with toys and books.

But a child can certainly be bored at school. Most people are the most engaged when the tasks are just at a little bit beyond their level. High school physics was obviously too hard for the op. But I can believe that some kids are way beyond the level that they were instructed at in elementary school. If they were allowed to read book they brought from home, that may be better. But otherwise, what do you think they should be doing when they are waiting for others to catch up? Doodling? Not everyone is a doodler.

I don't know how often this happens. To say categorically that this cannot happen, that is simply not logical.

[Anonymous]

I always kind of find it amusing how everyone insists their kid is smart -- as in smarter than average.

So it's either my kid is never bored because he/she is so gifted or my kid is bored because he/she is gifted and the horrible school doesn't "engage" her/him enough.

All kids get bored sometimes. And frankly, I don't think it's the schools responsibility to entertain kids. They are there to learn. And while doing creative and engaging things is part of learning. There are also times when repetition and memorization are important, as tedious as that can be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's normal for kids to be bored in any situation where they have to sit still for a length of time and pay attention when they'd probably rather do other things.

But I think it's actually useful for kids to be bored every now and again, especially in school and especially in a situation where, no, they can't just get up and do something else.

Why? Because that is life!!! Most people aren't entertained and completely engaged ALL of the time they are at work. Everyone has grunt work at times, has to do stuff they'd rather not, and often has to still still and pay attention to people, even though they're not really learning anything new and exciting.

Part of preparing kids for life is preparing them for all aspects.

The biggest issue I have with Montessori schools is that the kids I've known who attend them are not good at sitting still or behaving when they don't get to choose what they do (i.e. my friends and their kids are over and the kids have to be patient while the adults talk). I can't imagine what will happen when those kids go to college and have to sit through lectures or when they go out into the work world and function in a structured environment.

Now, this I agree with. Being bored every now and then is not bad. Hopefully, they are not bored all the time. It is also not an excuse to act out, although it could help adults to help the child in question to figure out certain problem behaviors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the OP. What cannot a child be bored at school? If the school don't teach new things and repeat over and over stuff they already know, why cannot they be bored? Haven't we all been bored by lectures and meetings and stuff? Why cannot a kid be bored?

Didn't you read OP's response?

Its because OP was a bright child and does not recall being bored in elementary school.
Therefore, a kid cannot be bored that young... at least not until high school physics.

I am the first one to say I hate it when adults say that they are bored. No adults should be bored, ever. Unless they are in prison with no reading materials. I don't think a child can be bored at home either, if we are talking about the typical DCUM homes with toys and books.

But a child can certainly be bored at school. Most people are the most engaged when the tasks are just at a little bit beyond their level. High school physics was obviously too hard for the op. But I can believe that some kids are way beyond the level that they were instructed at in elementary school. If they were allowed to read book they brought from home, that may be better. But otherwise, what do you think they should be doing when they are waiting for others to catch up? Doodling? Not everyone is a doodler.

I don't know how often this happens. To say categorically that this cannot happen, that is simply not logical.

Adults get bored all of the time -- most adults don't get to do exactly what they want to do all of the time. Standing in line at the store, driving in traffic, doing perhaps repetitive and tedious tasks at work. Or doing repetitive and tedious tasks at home. It's part of life. I don't buy that most people are excited and engaged all of the time, and that it is only uninteresting stupid people who find some things just mind-numbing and tedious.

Sure, there are always ways to try to combat the boredom (podcasts or books on tape in the car for traffic), but if you're not in the mood for books on tape or not in the mood to be sitting for a half hour in traffic, sometimes nothing can really stop the boredom/tedium. You get through it. And it makes you appreciate even more the activities that you do find stimulating and enriching and fulfilling.

Kids need to learn to deal with boredom, to deal with the lulls that occur in daily life, to be patient waiting for others, because let's face it, a huge part of life is waiting.

I think acting out in kids, teens and even adults (and yeah, I know adults who act out, misbehave -- not to mention adults who develop addictions) is not because of boredom -- it's because they don't learn or aren't able to COPE with boredom. And that will be a bigger problem in life than not being challenged 100 percent of the school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always kind of find it amusing how everyone insists their kid is smart -- as in smarter than average.

So it's either my kid is never bored because he/she is so gifted or my kid is bored because he/she is gifted and the horrible school doesn't "engage" her/him enough.

All kids get bored sometimes. And frankly, I don't think it's the schools responsibility to entertain kids. They are there to learn. And while doing creative and engaging things is part of learning. There are also times when repetition and memorization are important, as tedious as that can be.

It is quite amusing, isn't it?

I personally don't even think memorization is boring. Depending on what you call by repetition though, that can be problematic. But drills, math minutes, spelling words, bring them on. But covering the same topics over and over can get too repetitive for some kids.

[Anonymous]

Sitting quietly in a chair enduring another lesson of the same boring material I learned a year ago (and didn't care about the first time).
It's a critical life skill.

[Anonymous]

boring people are often bored.

[Anonymous]

16:09.

Good point.

I guess I was not talking about the necessary tasks we do in life that are not exactly exciting. I am more thinking about the people who sits there and complains about being bored when there are so many ways to occupy themselves.

I agree with you that certain amount of boredom is unavoidable. But I do have a lot of sympathies for kids not being challenged enough at school. It is not a problem when they are not engaged the whole day, but it is a problem when they are not challenged at all.

[Anonymous]

"I just don't think really bright kids get bored. (I do think kids/parents use the term as an excuse when there are behavioral issues.)

Agreed. I have one friend who says her son is bored, so he acts out. There are lots of smart kids in class that DON'T act out."

You people are such horses asses. You can't understand that gifted kids may have difference personalities - that some may be content to read quietly while others want to think out loud, discuss, and engage with others? And that some kids - now this is a shocker - are kinesthetic learns?

[Anonymous]

"Kids need to learn to deal with boredom, to deal with the lulls that occur in daily life, to be patient waiting for others, because let's face it, a huge part of life is waiting."

Kids are not little adults. Their brains don't function like our brains. They can't be expected to pattern adult behaviors all the time.

Brainless is what you are.

[Anonymous]

I don't say my kid is bored at school, I wouldn't know that, I don't sit there, but he says it.And it might be true, because how many lines a day can you possibly connect day in and day out in pre-K? The homework is even the same, I'm tired of it,but I guess it's all they can do at that age.

[Anonymous]

I was bored in many of my classes in school, from early elementary through college. Partly because I was smarter than the average kid (IQ high 130's) and partly because I always did all the reading in advance, and often the kids who hadn't prepared were slowing things down with more questions, when I already understood the material. Twice, teachers and administrators wanted me to skip a grade, and both times my parents decided against it for social reasons.

I have other friends who were bored a lot. Eventually most of us dealt with it by only showing up to class when we had to - and still getting straight A's. I skipped 28 days my senior year of high school and had a 4.3 GPA. (on a 4-point scale.)

Some kids get bored unless they are challenged. So do some adults. I'm bored at work a lot too.

[Anonymous]

16:26 That is EXACTLY why there shouldn't be any homework in pre-school. The kids get burned out on homework and worksheets before they even get to real school.

Pre-schools with homework either don't truly understand child development or they give homework just to cater to what the parents want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Kids need to learn to deal with boredom, to deal with the lulls that occur in daily life, to be patient waiting for others, because let's face it, a huge part of life is waiting."

Kids are not little adults. Their brains don't function like our brains. They can't be expected to pattern adult behaviors all the time.

Brainless is what you are.

Kids are not little adults, but they do need to learn skills to prepare them for adulthood, which was the point of my post. that's why it begins with the "kids need to learn" part.

"Their brains don't function like our brains" is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. They are humans after all! Certainly, they can't be expected to behave like adults, but they most certainly are training to be adults. And that's a big part of school -- teaching them how to be adults, preparing them to be adults.

I never said there wasn't an age-appropriate way to do this. But I disagree that kids can't be expected to learn to deal with boredom, especially in rather small doses. It isn't like kids are doing the states on a map for 6 hours straight. They do switch to different subjects.

The last part of your post is just plain juvenile. So I really hope no child patterns your behavior.