Reply to the Atlantic: The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I wish you guys could see the students in my college classes that I teach.  They lack the ability to take notes.  They don’t read the textbook.  They panic before a test and want a study guide defining exactly what is on the test.  They do not want to study any information more than what is on the test.  They will ask you questions the morning of the exam.  They ask for extra credit.  The quality of the student skill set has plummeted in the last 20 years.  They are used to fill-in-the-blank guided notes from middle and high school. They are used to re-takes.  And, they never see textbooks. It’s easy to ignore the soft copy textbook—why read that?  —signed a professor. [/quote]

This makes me sad but doesn’t surprise me. One of my DSs is heading in this direction (currently in middle school, so maybe there’s time/opportunity to turn the situation around) and I can see how the school system plays into it.

Any advice for those of us in the trenches? DS has zero interest in school. He’s in honors classes/advanced math but just wants to do the minimum to skate by (and usually their brains to do just that - the minimum.)

But he shows genuine curiosity and interest in the things that interest him. Has a great attitude and strong work ethic when it comes to his sport (ability to focus for long periods, is interested in  technique/details, and is self-motivated with skills practice). So I hope that may translate one day to academics?

And he has some personal interests he explores on YouTube (cooking, some engineering/science stuff), but it’s all passive watching - zero interest in actually trying/applying what he watches. (And to state the obvious, he won’t ever read books unless they’re assigned for school, and even then I’m guessing it’s the bare minimum. But he does follow his sport closely, including reading news articles.)

Sorry to turn this into a free advice/therapy session. But I think it’s important for us to hear from those who see the actual behavior “in the field.” [/quote]

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