Parents Feel Kids Are Too Bored At School?
A new survey finds that parents feel that their children are bored at school and need more engaging activities.
A survey was conducted for LEGO Education using One Poll to determine how parents feel about their children’s education. The vast majority admitted that their kids are not enjoying their lessons and are bored at school. Around half connected this to a lack of hands-on activities, and caregivers also noted the swift change in students’ attitudes shift between elementary and middle school.
The survey questioned a thousand parents, and a whopping 80% of parents noted that their kids either dislike going to class or are bored at school. 57% blame modern student workloads for this attitude as public schools pile hefty workloads onto students which leads them to feel overwhelmed and unable to keep up. The average high school student spends 3-5 hours on homework per day according to a Challenge Success study which examined data from 2018-2020. Studies measuring the amount of homework middle school students receive is less prominent, but a 2014 Harris Poll asked teachers how much homework they assign by grade. The results were astounding.
Middle school students are given close to three hours of homework a night, and what’s more, K-12 students received not much less. They were given 2.9 hours of homework a night. Children spend hours in class every day and then are expected to come home and spend most of their free time studying. This tells parents exactly why their children are bored at school.
As much as teachers have complained about burnout during the past couple of years, students are feeling it too. The expectations being placed on children are considered unrealistic by many. As if that weren’t enough to lead children to be bored at school, 52% of parents also stated that schools are no longer offering as many hands-on learning activities as they used to. This has led to disinterest in the classroom and a lack of fun at school.
Most people learn best through exploration. Lectures may be a necessary aspect of the teaching process as students mature, but students get bored at school under this method. What’s more, they are more likely to fail classes after receiving lectures instead of active lessons, while hands-on learning has proven to improve interest and student skills because learning activities engage their curiosity.
Similarly, teachers also believe that students need more hands-on learning, group work, and to know that it’s okay to fail sometimes. So if both teachers and parents agree on how children should be taught, why are these methods not being increased in the classroom? Some believe the pandemic pushed too much technology reliance onto students, and now that schools are back to in-person learning students are bored in school as computers now dominate teaching tools.
Modern technology like laptops, tablets, and phones are addictive. They disrupt children’s sleep patterns, create vision issues, and are only increasing obesity issues. While many parents and teachers agree that it can help children learn, modern technology may also increase students’ issues with being bored at school. Staring at screens for too long gets old and doesn’t engage all of the senses.
In order to better serve students, schools can work with teachers and parents to develop more balanced teaching plans. Educators who wish to add more active learning into their teaching time should seek approval from their principal. Parents have expressed concerns that their children are too bored at school. Keeping students interested in material is a serious challenge that the education system faces, but can be remedied with less homework and more hands-on lessons.
