A couple days ago I realized how infrequently I read any more. Like, I skim nonfiction / editorials all the time, but if I am taking something big in, I don't feel like I discovered it through reading. Usually, I get an idea from something I've been watching and then follow it around until something else catches my eye. When I thought about how I find new topics, I thought about my students. I started wondering if I should be giving my students' frequent complaint more credence. Is school - especially reading heavy classes - really, actually, boring? It seems like I see it in class, a lot: we watch a documentary, the kids are rivited. Deliver the same content via words on a page, and bleh.
If we have the ability to make school less boring, how would we do it?
Or, is taking steps to make school more pleasant feeding an instant-gratification monster?
Something in the middle?
I replied to the wrong thing. Please disregard this comment!
A lot of my recommendations center around the physical environment. Cracking down on weed/vaping. I don't want to smell that musty **** when I'm just trying to get to my next class. Some schools still have lead pipes/asbestos and mold problems. I would push for water fountain filters above all. Also, the administration needs to cut down on the amount of people who cut the lunch line.
As far as the education goes, I don't have too many complaints. Teachers mostly try their hardest. I just wish we had more paper assignments rather than virtual ones. I think that people should always look to improve what can be, but realistically there isn't much that the higher-ups are willing to do about it. As a kid with a bad home life, I love it when teachers get to know me better. I typically make a small effort, like gifting teachers the tomatoes I grow. If teachers take interest in that or comment on my dialogue, it makes me feel special. That's what I'd like teachers to do more.