Teachers don't care, and they're boring me

Less than half of middle and high school students think teachers care about their problems and feelings, and less than a third think teachers make school exciting, according to massive national survey released today.

The "My Voice" report also found that 47 percent of students think school is boring, with far more boys saying so than girls.

The survey was conducted between fall 2006 and spring 2008 by the Pearson education company and the Quaglia Institute. The results are based on the responses of 414,000 students in 569 middle and high schools in 32 states.

They show that "while teachers have the potential to inspire students, they are not doing so in ways that students recognize," survey founder Russell J. Quaglia said in a press release.

The survey found gaps between boys and girls. While 43 percent of girls agreed that school is boring, 52 percent of boys did. Ninety-one percent of girls agreed that going to college is important, while 82 percent of boys did.

The survey also found that students feel less positive about schools and teachers as they get older. Forty-one percent of middle schoolers surveyed said teachers make school an exciting place to learn, but only 28 percent of high schoolers did. Asked if their classes help them understand what's happening in everyday life, 46 percent of middle schoolers said yes, compared to 36 percent of high schoolers.

The report concludes: "It is naive and ignorant to expect students to say in school, let alone graduate and take the next steps toward reaching their fullest potential, if every year they are in school they feel less supported, less connected and less inspired to learn."

Ron Matus, state education reporter

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Comments

[amanda]

I agree to school is very boring if the teacher dosnt go out of there way to be nice and show that they care. Ive got 5 projects already due which caused me to be backed up on hw. So now im ganna miss alot of hw points because i care more about the project grades 7 classes is really hard and teachers need to realize im doing hw for hours and i dont learn anything that way. My biology how ever is so much fun because the teacher is young but that dosnt mean anything i had a older teacher who wasnt young and she made it fun but also made us learn.

[Caitlin]

Okay, I'm a highschooler.

Honestly, if I'm waking up at 530 in the morning to get to school, and learning out of a book while the teacher sits at the front of the room acting like they dont want to be there, I'm going to sleep. I get very good grades in school and am very motivated, but if I'm sitting in a room for and hour and a half in one spot, working out of a book and not being engaged, my 'give a crap' level goes down very significantly. And yes, its very boring. VERY boring. Motivation level has nothing to do with it.

I have a few teachers who make it fun. Let us get up, walk around get blood flowing and do group projects, while still learning. I get far better test grades and overall grades in those classes then in the classes where I always learn from a book and am taught by a teacher who seems like they dont care.

I think teachers need higher pay, or maybe just a break. But both students and teachers have to be in school, and if I'm making the best of it, I expect the same from them. And sometimes I dont even get half, which is discouraging.

[Caitlin]

Okay, I'm a highschooler.

Honestly, if I'm waking up at 530 in the morning to get to school, and learning out of a book while the teacher sits at the front of the room acting like they dont want to be there, I'm going to sleep. I get very good grades in school and am very motivated, but if I'm sitting in a room for and hour and a half in one spot, working out of a book and not being engaged, my 'give a crap' level goes down very significantly. And yes, its very boring. VERY boring. Motivation level has nothing to do with it.

I have a few teachers who make it fun. Let us get up, walk around get blood flowing and do group projects, while still learning. I get far better test grades and overall grades in those classes then in the classes where I always learn from a book and am taught by a teacher who seems like they dont care.

I think teachers need higher pay, or maybe just a break. But both students and teachers have to be in school, and if I'm making the best of it, I expect the same from them. And sometimes I dont even get half, which is discouraging.

[student]

i hate when people do the blame game i as a freshman not even adjusting to high school yet,have come to a realization that in the "real world" it is boring but i have a teacher that actually takes time out of his life to teach an interesting and joyful lesson. it prepares me for the "real world" because as its joyful its also engaging and challenging. yet my teacher is in charge of the building and has to manage like an administrator. so when you're a teacher you also shouldn't complain but try to make the best out of it. to those teachers that do thank you and don't be discouraged by the whiny kids they just don't know how to act yet and should be sent back to middle school

[BBMOM]

I am amazed at how many PERFECT people we have on this blog. Of course if you'd step back and look you'd realize that both sides are correct.
Maybe if we took some of this negative energy and used it in the schools on a positive note, more children would not be Bored.
I don't actually think that will happen but it's a nice thought. There are good teahcers and there are ones who shouldn't be teaching. Some are there to get a paycheck, and some are there to fight the system to the end to help educate their students.
I went to school in St. Pete. and I was bored more than most kids. I just wasn't the type to sit and listen when I could be doing something else. Luckily things came easy to me and I graduated with an above average GPA. But when I have to go to meetings or training now, I am still bored.
It would be really nice if you would all get over your "better than everyone else" attitude and stay on track helping the kids.

[montessori fan]

Chris, is it not amazing how many parents ask "What can I do to help little Johnny?" and when you say "Well the best thing you can do for Johnny is read with him at home" they are like "Oh, really?" No joke, people! It really happens!

[chris]

If kids were taught to read at age 4, a la Maria Montessori, and then READ for hours a day after that, instead of watching tv (average viewing time is 5 hrs daily) or playing hours of videogames, they would be well prepared for kindergarten. Early success in school encourages kids to view education positively as something they can succeed at. Hours of recreational reading at home rapidly improves reading comprehension, allowing the child to readily read most of what he sees. The child is naturally encouraged, if taken to the public library by the parents, to browse and by so doing, accumulate background knowledge, so that when the subject is introduced in the classroom, they already know something on the topic and hence are immediately attracted to the discussion at hand.

Yes, I blame the parents if students find school boring. Sorry. My own kids (I have several, and used books as my babysitters--novel idea, that--no pun intended!) grew up reading voraciously, developed excellent reading comprehension, and never complained about being bored, and I know they didn't have the most exciting teachers in the world. They were accustomed to the world of learning and just read the book when they didn't understand/learn much from the teacher.

[teacher w/ brain]

Yes, I as a teacher will learn to take constructive criticism from someone who writes sentences with the word "I" lowercase. Let me get right on that! News flash, Susan, if I want a job just for the paycheck, I will definitely seek something higher-paying. Not defensive or guilty, just a little confused about why people continue to bash away at teachers and then complain when they stand up for themselves. Educators are critical thinkers. Do you not expect us to have opinions?

*her pompous little attitude

[another schoolteacher]

If these students think school is boring, then they are definitely not going to like their wonderful career at McDonald's!

I think I'm going to take iTeach's advice and not only ignore Lisa, but Susan as well for pompous little attitude.

[Susan]

I certainly don't think that teachers need to necessarily "entertain" the students, however my two high school age children have both been disappointed in teachers. My son loves history and is extremely disappointed that his honors world history teacher shows no real interest in the material she is teaching. On the other hand his law studies teacher really knows his subject well and it shows in the way he teaches and gets the kids excited to learn. I think that is what we are really talking about here is that so many teacher are just doing a job for the paycheck and have no passion at all for teaching young minds which is unfortunate. It is very rude to critize a teaching assistant for her opinion. Anyone who has had a child in the system for any length of time knows that there are great teachers and teachers that have no business being in a classroom. You don't need to work for the school system or have a degree to recognize that. And because it is obviously a teacher who is criticizing the assistant it proves a point, the teachers in this post are angry and defensive-feeling a little guilty maybe?? Please learn how to take constructive criticisim.

[lisa]

Not that I got the pot stirred and discussions going, I think my job here is done.

[FCAT FUN]

Really now. I had a parent tell me the other day her child was acting out, in middle school, due to boredom. Problem is he is below grade level in math and reading so it's not like he is bored due to already knowing the information. I tell my kids that school is work, learning is work. One day they will be at real work and wish they could go back to school. Work is not alway super exciting, that is why it is called work and not "fun time". Can we jazz it up..sure. But there are always going to be days when you have to test or define vocabulary or read about the economy of Canada and gosh darn it that isn't always exciting. Deal with it. As one of my ESOL kids told the class the other day...at age 12 in Vietnam I would be working in the fields...I'm glad to be in the US.

[publicschoolteacher]

Lisa, there is a ratemyteacher.com just like ratemyprofessor.com. Neither teachers nor professors give these sites any credence, as more often than not, the entries are created by disgruntled students who thought they deserved a better grade for minimal effort.

I wonder if there will be a ratemyboss.com for when you enter the "real world" like th rest of us. What will poor Lisa do when she can't choose her boss from a website?

[iTeach]

Do not bother with Lisa. The fact that she has just been an "aide" and lacks a complete college education completely disqualifies her input and the veracity of her lofty statements. She is not a teacher, does not hold a degree in education, and has never interned as a real educator. How many years and how many schools has she worked at as a real educator? Probably none! So, ignore her.

We educators, who hold a BS, BA, double certification (or more), MA, or PHD, need not pay any attention to her hilarity and clearly unfounded opinions. Her attitude is part of the problem. So much of the public feels that being a mere student in the public school system or beyond qualifies them to draw conclusion about ALL or MOST educators and the professional careers we dwell in. I am laughing at her hubris and know that she is in for a whole new education when she graduates and enters the real working world. Her ego and know-it-all attitude will be checked so very quickly.

[lisa]

dysgraphia has to do with the physical process of writing (fine motor skills).Please stop insulting my intelligence. And so far I have given outstanding survey results for the professors i have had. Maybe something simular to ratemyprofessors.com should be started for familes so that they can rate their children's teachers. Sometimes good results from critism. Again as an aid, I have seen many different teaching styles and sat in the teachers lounge. most teachers are amazing, it those few that seem to spoil it for the good ones. A lot depends on the admistrators strength and abilites to keep us all on our toes. I am tired of the poor me, I have it so bad, attitude of those few. Parents and Teachers should become a team to educate our future.

[teacher w/ brain]

Dyslexia has to do with reading. Dysgraphia has to do with writing. Go ahead, Einstein, I mean Lisa. Keep bashing teachers. I'm sure your college professors LOVE you since you probably loathe them too.

[lisa]

I am dyslexic, Is that the attitude you use with with your students or anyone that disagrees with you? I am just saying that there are mostly good teachers, but somebody has got to try and weed out the bad ones. I also think that it is not fair to expect tax payers to pay more per hour for a teacher than for other professions requiring the same amount of education. p.s. The child sitting in front of you who is "stupid" and cannot spell or read on grade level (the kid, adminstration wishes to weed out of your school, becasue he is bringing down the fcat scores)may be the the next einstein or wright brother.

[publicschoolteacher]

Lisa, as a matter of fact, we are NOT using our planning periods to plan. We are called to meeting after meeting- K12 Reading Initiative, 504s, PMPs, IEPs, PTCs, and any other alphabet soup du jour!

I only get 50 minutes a day (and those are the days that I am not supervising in the cafeteria or covering an absent teacher's class because we are short substitutes). That's hardly enough time to plan lessons, grade papers, call parents, and meet with my team members. And I am a veteran teacher, so I have it easier than some. I already have quality lessons in my files that I know are engaging and rich with curriculum.

As far as your grammar and spelling, do you blame a teacher for not teaching you these skills, or yourself for not bothering to commit them to memory?

[DUH]

Lisa,
Take a look at the salary schedule in any school district in Florida and go ALL the way over to the doctorate level pay (incase you don't know what that means, a doctorate is the degree that can be earned in many fields after the master's degree). Let's add up the years here... four years of undergraduate work, two for a master's, and the 3 to 4 that many spend working on a PhD. That's about a much schooling as a doctor who practices general medicine. So your "twice as much schooling" idea just got torn to shreds!
P.S.
If you are in college like you say you are, I sure do hope you are majoring in something like nuclear physics that doesn't involve much writing.

[lisa]

Teachers look in the mirror, are you truly using all or your planning periods for planning? Teachers with a couple years of experience easily get in a rut. Do you know who the lazy teachers are in your school and do nothing? Do you feel your salary should be more like a doctor or a cop? A Doctor needs to be educated twice as long and You work only 180 days a year with students. These are children. you are with them for 7 or 8 hours of the day.You are responsiple to make their day plesant. Showing them you care, planning for an interesting lesson, and getting out of your chair is not the same as "Entertaining"

ps my grammer and spelling mistakes should not dismiss the point.

[burned out]

Yesterday I went looking for help for one of my students. I was told that just get him through and on to the next school. Folks, this was an elementary principal in an A school saying this!
It's not the teachers!

[Buddha]

Make it fun. How rich. Look teachers teach six classes a day, 5 days a week. Sometimes it is just NOT FUN. Sorry, that people aren't entertained. Of course entertainers make much more money.

The job of a teacher is to educate, throw in inspire, discipline, and parent, now they want us to entertain. How about kids take a little bit of responsibility for their education. Whoa, crazy idea.

[teacherparent]

Bob, you are sooooo lucky. I wish that I as a teacher could have been home with my own Junior(s) as a single parent for most of their formative years. But that didn't mean I let them make excuses for themselves.

It is the parent who is the first and most influential teacher. The other classroom teachers have an effect, but never as much as the parent.

I never allowed my kids to disrespect a teacher no matter what excuses they gave me, because I was one.

Now they are strapping young men , one graduating as an engineer and will make double what I make. One going into engineering next year and one in high school with sights on engineering as a profession also.

I am a 60's baby and I agree with you that my generation decided that being our kids' "friend" was more important than being their parent, and hence the problems with education .....it stems from the change in parenting, and school is merely a reflection of society's problems with teens, not the cause of it.

And yet we continue to blame the teacher. Did it occur to many that the newbies in education are some of their own defective generational products too?

I see many newbies who try to be their students' buddy.But I am sorry there is that line that I, as a professional will never cross, no matter how bad the teen's life is at home. That's the guidance personnel's expertise. Since society has changed, so too, have I with respect to how close I get in assisting a needy teen.

It is 75% parental fault/success and not teacher credentials that makes the teen a better educated adult.

And if such a study were ever really commissioned by the feds then the parents would complain soooooo loudly that the feds would drop it like a hot potato. PARENTS are the key to successful teens not the teachers as much as you might think.

[Bob]

Ancient Rome is boring? What are you talking about? Maybe you're doing something wrong.

Look, when I went to HS, my teachers, by in large, sucked. They thought I wasn't college material. The administrators assigned me to stupid shop and trade classes. A large part of this was my fault for not protesting. Part of this was my parents fault for not noticing that I could have done far more and for sending me off to watch television instead of spending time with me. And, part of it is the fault of the teachers who gave up on me.

As a teacher, you are accepting partial responsibility for that child in your classroom. Their failure is ultimately your failure too. Yeah, teaching is hard work. That's what you signed up for. But, so is raising kids and frankly, being a kid is a lot harder than it should be. Welcome to our changing society. Kids have too much stimulus. Parents are becoming parents too young. They're kids raising kids, or grandparents raising kids, or TV raising kids.

Why is this happening? I blame selfish adults and the culture of immediate satisfaction that grew up and came of age in the 60s and all the "progress" they have brought us. I blame movements that popularized dual income households as a choice for some that made it, through the inflation that followed, a necessity for the majority of working adults. Their liberation has enslaved the middle class. Mom isn't at home baking cookies and raising Junior. She's out working to help pay for their overpriced house, and day care for Junior. Junior's dad is working overtime to save for junior's overpriced college. Junior is at home watching TV and surfing porn on the internet. The American dream, eh?

By the way, I joined the navy, went to college, graduate school, and now I earn far more than $100K a year. Hopefully, I won't give up on my sons, teachers won't give on them, and they won't give up on themselves. And, mom's at home with Junior.

Lisa, while you are on the website, shop for a spelling and writing teacher.

[lisa]

I believe in self-motivation. But, unfortunatly as a teachers assistant, I have seen (in a previous school)lazy, ill-tempered, teachers sleepwalking though lessons. These teachers band together,complain and insist for more and more.
If my doctor, hairdresser or clerk treated me this way, I would not use the service again. I am back in college now, before paying for a class, I turn to ratemyprofessor.com to shop for a caring compentant teacher. It is sad that children are not mature enough and/or taken seriously enough to insist on a teacher worth her salt.

[grateful parent]

Students come to school being taught by the culture that easy sex and easy money are the things that are important and fun. This pressure builds as they enter their teens. Schools, on the other hand, offer hard work and delayed gratification. So yes, the teens are bored. And yes, they think teachers don't care because teachers don't want to hear about their teenage angst. Instead, teachers want them to focus on learning. Okay, I can live with that. Keep up the good work teachers.

[lisa]

Do you wish for your Doctor,dentist, Waitress or hairdresser to speak to you in a belittling manner? Would you pay for these people to sleepwalk while performing a service? Would like these people to ask you to do their job for them(grading & errands),while they sit on their bottom? As a Teachers Assistant, I have seen this behavior & intitlement, at a previous school. Some teachers get lazy and do not realize that it is their job to engage students. I am in college now, as an adult, I pick professors that are capale of teaching (thanks to rate my professors. com.) Too bad, kids are not mature enough and/or taken seriously enough to do the same.

[Anonymous]

The education system continues to deteriorate because of teachers not caring. I graduated from high school a year ago and have 2 semesters left before I get my bachelor's degree. Why? because I had great teachers and school people (in GUIDANCE) who cared. I have always wondered what my life would have been like if I had not met these people and I can honestly say I would not be where I am today. I just hope that educators like the ones I had do not get discouraged because of a failing system and difficult parents/administrators etc.

[Julia]

I have mixed feelings on this. It makes me sad if there is a History teacher out there that thinks the Roman Empire is boring. I was a History major and Roman History is very interesting. It can't be interesting if you as a teacher are not interested in it.

However, many kids today are whiners. School has always had an element of being boring and worklike. We all survived. My dad would have laughed at me if I complained about it. I agree too many things have been entertainment driven for kids. It's why I don't do it w/ my own.

That said, a lot of the fun of school has been sucked out w/ the FCAT. Very little time for electives or not teaching to the test. My 1st grader does not have one minute of free time or recess during the day other than a brief lunch at 11 AM. I feel sorry for the teachers too being in a room w/ all that info for that long w/ 6 yo kids.

There just seems to be such little common sense used in education today.

[teacherparent]

ima9...they are called HELICOPTER parents...they hover and this generation is so "connected"...that adolescence goes into their 30's and then mom and dad wonder why they won't leave the nest when they hit 35.

The good(better) parents of generations ago let their kids be independent early on....they were not so "technologically connected" so they developed normally.

This entire generation has been so coddled that the universities are spending thousands of dollars coaching and providing therapy to parents to learn how to "disconnect".

I know this because I spent 2 days at an orientation listening to parents complain about why they can't have more info on their college student.....IT's the LAW..FERPA.

The parents are the problem and then it trickles down to Johnny and Suzie so they whine...WAHHHH Mommy I'm BORED in school".

And these little whining babies wonder why international students are laughing at them.

It's because they have no clue on what independent learning is. They require immediate gratification. Our U.S. students with the coddling help of the American EDUCATIONAL system, will continue to be behind because they don't put forth the same effort as those overseas, and then they wonder why the jobs are going overseas.

It isn't the teacher...it's the LACK of intrinsic student motivation.

Parents are too soft with their kids and it's ALWAYS the teacher's fault no matter what.

These are the same parents who call the professor and their kid's boss later in life to complain why Johnny didn't get an A or didn't get a bonus check.

PATHETIC!!!

[jma9]

i can't stand this current generation. they're a bunch of whiners. good job parents.

[Jim Johnson]

All of my best teachers had a few traits in common: They knew their subject, loved the subject, demanded my best, and refused to pull their punches when grading. And they didnt suffer fools.

None of them were entertaining, and none of them were my pal.

But they were terrific.

[jen]

Of course kids don't care. The parents have to MAKE them care.

Oops, my bad Virginia.

[Payton]

I agree with Al . . . school has always been boring; I'm a teacher and we have so many wonderful resources available to engage students - things that weren't available when I was a student. Today's students are unmotivated, lazy and want instant gratification. Learning requires work and discipline and many of today's students don't want to put forth the effort. Give them a multiple choice test - something they can guess at - and they are happy. Many people don't figure out the importance of an education until it's too late. That's the problem with a society in which everything is "free". Opportunities are not appreciated - an education is an opportunity that SHOULD BE APPRECIATED.

[Timmy!]

Let's make middle school AND high school HARDER to get into.

Maybe it's mandatory education that needs to be revisited. Look how much better the armed forces became once we got rid of the draft.

By making middle school and high school harder to get into we can then make hiring quality teachers a must.

I don't think I'll see it in my lifetime but there are enough good comments here to give me hope.

[Savanna]

ok, im in school now. and the best thing i can say to little brats is, MAKE IT FUN. i mean common it's not that bad. and teachers aren't there to be your best friend. so get over it....its a cycle.

[Al]

school was boring when I was in it. Most of my college classes were boring too. But you know what? I learned and got good grades because I studied and paid attention boring or not. I did it BECAUSE IT WAS EXPECTED OF MY BY MY PARENTS. If I didn't I would have been paying the old man in the form of my butt to the strap.

[LittleBoPeep]

This was not to say that, in general, teachers aren't parents; I mean that they are not these students' parents when they walk into that class room.

[teacher w/ brain]

iTeach says it best... People are running in droves to other professions because let's face it, teaching is fast becoming an all-around raw deal. Let's look at a few facts. Every portion of our day is no longer left to our own "creativity" as students apparently long for. It is all mandated and scripted as if we are all robots. Parents WHINE and complain like a bunch of spoiled BABIES when they don't get their way or don't agree with things and I'm talking about ridiculous, insane things like the color of the school webpage or heaven FORBID we have a school code of conduct and hold children accountable to RULES. Wait, we haven't even talked about the pointless, nonsensical state mandated meetings that take up every morning when we could be working on things that actually relate to students. Let's recap. Teaching is becoming a raw deal. Mediocre pay to get continually questioned, badgered, harrassed, and direspected. Yes, yes, I know what you are thinking, you people who don't think very deeply or for very long... Go find another job! To you I say it was not like this when I started and I hope it does not last much longer or I will be seeking a job where professionals are actually respected.

[LittleBoPeep]

It just amazes me that these students think that the teachers are there to entertain them. They are there for an education and if this bores them, this is too bad. Teachers are not parents. They have a job to do, a difficult job to do. These students need to get a clue and get over them selves and try to learn something instead of going to school to be entertained. Not to many of them are on the genius level that might constitute being bored for that reason.

[No Santa]

No Santa? 4:46, just what are you talking about!

Is being "bored" part of being a teenager?

As kids get older they should have less and less support.

A big part of the problem is the idea that adults around them have created parties in the kids' daily lives since they were born. Exciting birthdays, vacations, stories about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and lands with princesses and riches and happily ever afters...

It's a real bummer when 1) you find out there is no Santa Clause and 2) you figure out you are the one who needs to plan events, keep track of paperwork and "make" the excitement yourself.

We need to seperate the natural ebb and flow of life before placing blame.

BUT...teachers can TRY to help teenagers understand their new "role" in life in a kind and understanding way. And teachers CAN try to make Roman Empires a little more "exciting." After all, our Democracy is based on their work, is it not?

[Mr. Concerned]

what is the percentage of teachers that feel like their own administration cares! about them?

[Gnash]

As a teacher, I was reprimanded just yesterday by a county administrator, for not following the script of the classroom I teach. According to the county, (despite my ascending test scores) I am failing as a teacher by using my own creativity, as opposed to that script, to help inspire the students.

[iTeach...]

Two things:

1) Teachers in high schools have 150 kids. They are overwhelmed, overworked, and overtaxed, so being there and deeply caring about 150 kids a day and on a personal basis is impossible. If we had a manageable load, say 75 students at a time, then kids would feel more connected to their teachers. High school teachers are in survival mode in Hillsborough County, and it's not by choice, trust me.

2) Teachers are scared to death to get close to kids in this climate. We are told by our administrators over and over again to keep our distance, never be alone with a teen, never extend conversations into the personal or beyond school hours and only discuss the curriculum. In this climate, what do people expect? I can't help a child, and then in turn lose my job because the perception is misleading.

Bottom line- this culture and this schedule has ruined what teaching should be. Also, give teachers a break, because despite the hardships, the policies, and the 150 kids to educate, about half of those kids responded favorably about their teachers!

This hypercritical culture is LITERALLY chasing the good teacher out of this profession like crazed villagers with torches and pinch forks.

[kay]

Pre FCAT, we could spend time visiting museums, cooking the food of a country, creating a civilization and doing an archelogical dig, holding a mock Congress or court trial, and 100 other things that make learning fun. It's not always the teacher. Many of us are as frustrated as the kids!