When School Is Stupid

I’ve heard it a million times—a student will communicate in no uncertain terms that “this (school, assignment, class, book, etc.) is stupid.” When a student says it, it can sound angry, and it doesn’t help much to try to argue with that student or convince him or her that they are mistaken. The best thing to do is listen, acknowledge the feelings, and reframe the discussion towards something more positive.

I also agree with what Jeff Wilhelm said about students who say “this is stupid.” Wilhelm is a former teacher turned professor from Maine who found that students say “school is stupid” because they don’t feel successful or like they fit in, and it’s a whole lot easier to say “this is stupid” than it is to admit that “I don’t get it, so I must be stupid,” but that’s exactly what kids are feeling when they say it.

For the record, it’s a fact that school is harder now than it has ever been. A few years ago the State of Michigan raised the standards and expectations for what it requires to graduate from school in Michigan. All students must complete difficult classes in all areas, such as chemistry in science, advanced math, and difficult English and social studies classes. Students have to be proficient in computers, and soon will even be required to successfully study a foreign language just to graduate from high school.

Many successful adults would be challenged by the classes our teens take each day, even college-educated adults like myself would probably be tempted to say “this is stupid” in a challenging chemistry or physics class. (It’s easier than admitting that chemistry and physics are very hard for me!)

In an earlier column I shared my agreement with the statement of First Lady Laura Bush that “reading is the new civil right,” meaning that the ability to read, or to be fully literate, more than any other academic skill, will give a child opportunity to learn, and eventually find employment in our knowledge-based economy. We can’t afford to let students leave our school feeling stupid.

I heard Jeff Wilhelm speak a few years ago, and I read his book about teaching at-risk middle school students to read. He was not some egghead professor spouting off theories, he was a regular guy who loves kids and wants to help. And his message makes sense. The relationship kids have with school, their attitude about learning, and the investment of teachers and parents to help kids get past “this is stupid” is critical.

When a child says school is stupid to a teacher or parent, it should sound like an ambulance siren screaming down the street: there is a life at stake, and we need to get that student some help. If you hear it, do what you can to address it—behind that statement a student is saying I don’t know what to do to be successful. And believe it or not, that’s what every kid wants, even the angry ones.

Note: This blog post is from a series originally published as personal essays written for the Van Buren County Advertiser from 2008-2014 by Corey Harbaugh under the title It's All Good. The It's All Good columns were written to feature and celebrate life in and around Gobles, Michigan.