None of us are oblivious to the fact that many children hate school. The statement is backed by a lot of factors, including made-up health excuses, unreasonable tears, and illogical stubbornness of missing schools, which can especially be true for younger students. While there may be a plethora of reasons for this behavior, the primary ones include overly attachment of kids to their primary caregivers, not being told what to do, and/or most importantly, struggling with the academia and performance pressure.
Through this blog, we attempt to look at the question ‘what do children hate about school?’ critically and suggest some ways to deal with it.
Why Children Hate School? Or, What Do Children Hate About School?
There can be several reasons for hating school, some of which include:
1. Lack of Freedom
It is claimed that every child is born curious. This curiosity fosters the desire to communicate. Thus, children tend to be talkative and restless. So, the lack of freedom becomes the most common reason for hating school.
In a school, students are confined to a classroom and must ask for permission for almost all actions. Moreover, they are restricted to behave according to the rules of the school. This suppresses their desire to communicate and curbs their freedom, turning it into a reason for many students to hate school.
2. Monotonous Schedule
Schools function on the principles of discipline and proper utilization of time. There is a fixed schedule for classes and activities conducted in a school. Therefore, the students have to adhere to the fixed timings and follow the code of conduct of the school. Children are usually not accustomed to following such a schedule. Also, attending lectures sitting in the same classroom for hours is tiresome. Such a monotonous schedule and fixed timings create an aversion to school.
3. Loneliness and Bullying
Communication is the most primordial and innate human requirement. The inability to express and connect can affect the various aspects of an individual’s personality. Moreover, it has an impact on the psychological makeup and can affect mental health as well.
In a school, the lack of freedom often leads to a feeling of loneliness. Additionally, the inability to communicate makes it difficult for students to make friends. Thus, they end up feeling lonely and are unwilling to go to school.
On the other hand, some students try to exert their influence on their peers who seem to be weak and submissive. They often bully them, which instills a sense of fear in that child. This is another reason for students finding school abhorrent.
4. Lack of Interest in the Subjects Offered
Schools typically have certain mandatory subjects and a few or no optional subjects. This means that students are restricted to learning a limited number of subjects. Consequently, they often end up studying the subjects they do not like. Few subject choices lead to a lack of interest in learning.
Additionally, some students might come to fear certain subjects, such as mathematics. This can be the result of their inability to understand complex concepts or failure to secure good marks in that subject.
5. Inability to Learn
The dislike toward school may arise due to certain mental conditions that disrupt the learning patterns. A child may be suffering from a learning disability such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, and others, which makes learning difficult.
Moreover, certain learning disorders, such as ADHD, Dyspraxia, and Executive Functioning, make it difficult for students to learn. Eventually, students find reasons to avoid school and end up hating it.
6. Loads of Homework and Fear of Exams
Homework is something almost every student despises. Spending long hours at school and then putting additional efforts to do homework seems like a burden to growing children. Moreover, homework tasks are often boring and submission dates seem like a threat. Therefore, students tend to escape the responsibility of completion and submission of homework.
Additionally, another potential fear of the students in school is testing. Assessments are a crucial part of education. They are a way of measuring the students’ performance. Typically, examinations are reduced to scoring marks. As a result, students who get good marks get a reward, whereas the ones who do not are often neglected rather than focusing on the reasons behind their poor grades.
Additionally, score-based biases are common in schools. This demotivates the students and they begin to find ways to avoid school.
How to Deal with it?
Learning is a requisite for human existence. Schools play a vital role in imparting education. Additionally, parents play an important part in the learning process. Thus, parents must participate equally with their children to assist them at various levels of learning. A collaboration between schools and teachers is the key to promoting better learning and development of a child. Learning is an interactive process where students are free to participate and express themselves. Teachers and parents contribute toward making a child confident enough to express their opinions and feelings. The classroom environment and the environment at home play a significant role here. Here are some ways to support learning both at school and home:
- A teacher must create a positive environment in the class that encourages the students to do their best.
- The parents must initiate a healthy conversation with their child and listen to the issues he/she needs to discuss.
- Instead of nagging, parents must practice friendly gestures and talk to their children to find a solution to the issues plaguing them.
- Both teachers and parents should be quick in identifying an unusual behavior of a child and try to find out the cause for the same.
- Parents should ensure that they work hand-in-hand with the teachers for the development of the child.
- Receiving and providing regular feedback on the child’s performance is necessary for both the teacher and the parents.
It must be understood that education is not merely getting good grades and maintaining a good status in society. It goes beyond the boundaries of school. Collaboration and understanding can together contribute to providing a good learning experience. However, if any of the reasons included do not fit, parents and teachers both should not hesitate to meet a counselor to figure out the reasons for a child hating school.
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Further Reading: The Learning Apps
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