High school students bored, risk dropping out: survey

[Txbroadcaster]

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - High school students in the United States say they are bored in class and many have considered dropping out, according to a new survey.

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In the report conducted by Indiana University, 75 percent of the 81,000 students who participated said they were bored in class because the material wasn't interesting and 31 percent said they had no interaction with their teacher.

"I think what is happening is students are not being involved in interactive ways in the teaching and learning," Ethan Yazzie-Mintz, project director of the university's Center for Evaluation Policy, said in an interview.

Instead of providing lectures, Yazzie-Mintz said teachers should consider other methods of teaching such as discussion and debate and group projects.

Yazzie-Mintz said teaching style, rather than class size, is largely responsible for this problem.

"I think great teachers, and there are many of them across the country, have big classes and do a great job of interacting," he said.

The questionnaire, which included results from 110 public and private schools, also found that 22 percent of students said they have considered dropping out and half of the respondents said they have skipped school.

Students who miss school are far more likely to consider dropping out, said Yazzie-Mintz, adding the findings may suggest a reason for schools to reconsider how they handle discipline for students who skip.

"Given there is such a dropout problem across the country this data can help principals look at ways to address this problem," he said.

Yazzie-Mintz recommended school leaders take the opportunity to talk to students and find out why they're skipping as opposed to punishing them with suspensions or detentions.

Among the other findings, while 80 percent of students said doing homework was important, less than half reported doing an hour or less of it each week.

[BIG BLUE DEFENSIVE END]

Drop out? Why don't they just do like I did and take naps?

[Blastoderm55]

Yeah really. The Sandman always hit me hard after lunch. I finally wised-up my senior year and put Physical Science for the after lunch period. :p Having AP English and Chemsitry the previous two years was tough seeing as how I was always meemees.

[TheDOCTORdre]

i was extremely bored with high school, because most of the stuff just came easy to me with the exception of calculus and some chemistry, but me and classmates found away around the boredom by starting a cheating ring that ran deep into the heart of sweetwater high school...we were good, but toward the end of our senior year, we got sloppy and got busted, most of the members that got caught were on the National Honor Society

[piratebg]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
i was extremely bored with high school, because most of the stuff just came easy to me with the exception of calculus and some chemistry, but me and classmates found away around the boredom by starting a cheating ring that ran deep into the heart of sweetwater high school...we were good, but toward the end of our senior year, we got sloppy and got busted, most of the members that got caught were on the National Honor Society


It's not cheating. It's called cooperative learning. :D

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by piratebg
It's not cheating. It's called cooperative learning. :D

most of us actually scored better on tests when when didnt cheat it was kinda strange

[Blastoderm55]

Makes you wonder whether this cheating thing was very smart or not. :p

[BuffyMars]

That's crazy!

I hated HS...with a passion, but I never contemplated dropping out. But that is me...I didn't start falling asleep in class until middle school. I always wondered up until then how kids fell asleep. I was jealous, lol.

Worst HS class ever: Physics. If it wasn't for the hard marble countertops...I would have slept everyday.

[TheDOCTORdre]

I remember one by one we all had to go on trial before the NHS committee to see if we would be kicked out. I was the last one to be tried, alot of kids had little apologetic speeches written out on note cards, not me I went in there and had no intentions of apologizing for what I did, I apologized for the fact that I got caught and said that we had had a good run. I was later told by someone that I was the only one who went on trial who showed no remorse for what I had done

[Txbroadcaster]

Crazy thing ..You dont need a HS diploma or GED to get a College Degree

[BuffyMars]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
Crazy thing ..You dont need a HS diploma or GED to get a College Degree

You are an exception to the rule. You are an enigma!

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by BuffyMars
You are an exception to the rule. You are an enigma!

When I dropped out of HS school, My mom used a different word LOL..but I had the last laugh

[mustang04]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
I remember one by one we all had to go on trial before the NHS committee to see if we would be kicked out. I was the last one to be tried, alot of kids had little apologetic speeches written out on note cards, not me I went in there and had no intentions of apologizing for what I did, I apologized for the fact that I got caught and said that we had had a good run. I was later told by someone that I was the only one who went on trial who showed no remorse for what I had done


hahaha....you know good and well, if i was in there instead of economics i would have got caught w/ yall hahahahahha

but what is really funny...those of us who cheated the most scored higher on our ACT's than anyone else....we were geniuses Dre.....TNT BABY!!!!!!

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by mustang04

but what is really funny...those of us who cheated the most scored higher on our ACT's than anyone else....we were geniuses Dre.....TNT BABY!!!!!!

true that man... TNT what a time, Julios, pink lemonade and somehow the Matrix always seemed to be on TV

[PurpleFreddy]

This is just bogus crap. Because kids are exposed to visual and audial stimuli almost 24/7, they're complaining that they are bored. So instead of getting to the root of the problem, we tell the teachers they're not doing a good enough job.

Uggggh. Kids today think they have to be entertained 24/7. Every single day (almost every period) I have to warn a kid about an iPod or a cell phone or I have to confiscate one of them. It's time to put the accountability back square on the shoulders of the parents and the children. I am more than ready and willing to use any technique possible to make sure a student gets to learn.

Can you tell I am beat down lately from apathetic and amoral teenagers?

[mustang04]

Originally posted by PurpleFreddy
This is just bogus crap. Because kids are exposed to visual and audial stimuli almost 24/7, they're complaining that they are bored. So instead of getting to the root of the problem, we tell the teachers they're not doing a good enough job.

Uggggh. Kids today think they have to be entertained 24/7. Every single day (almost every period) I have to warn a kid about an iPod or a cell phone or I have to confiscate one of them. It's time to put the accountability back square on the shoulders of the parents and the children. I am more than ready and willing to use any technique possible to make sure a student gets to learn.

Can you tell I am beat down lately from apathetic and amoral teenagers?

i can...and sir, i truly agree with you.....i was raised VERY disciplined (meaning i got my @** spanked just about every day, and i didnt get all the cool electronic toys or anything like that growing up, hell....when i was in 5th grade for my birthday i got 4 sheets of plywood, a carpenters hammer, bag of nails, a handsaw, and a couple of other things.....then i was told if i wanted a tree-house, i could fix the old one lol

but back to the subject....you CAN NOT put all the blame on kids, i see parents nowadays SPOILING their kids and it makes me very sick, 6th graders with cell phones and such

[mustang04]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
true that man... TNT what a time, Julios, pink lemonade and somehow the Matrix always seemed to be on TV

yep haha....and dont forget the HUGE bowl of popcorn haha

[Txbroadcaster]

There is never ONE thing you can blame when it comes to education...Some of it is the teachers, some the students, some the parents, some the very things being taught. All we can do is try to find the balance

[mustang04]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
There is never ONE thing you can blame when it comes to education...Some of it is the teachers, some the students, some the parents, some the very things being taught. All we can do is try to find the balance


there will never be a balance now with the technology, convenience, and distribution of things that were once very hard to obtain.....back then, i bet kids couldnt wait to go to school so they didn't have to work on the farm all day or something...i know thats why i loved school

[PurpleFreddy]

Me: "Did you know your son has an outside reading assignment and hasn't turned in anything in the first two weeks of school?"
Mom: "Well, his room is all the way on the other side of the house, so I have no idea if he's reading or not."

Me: "Your son signed up for Pre-AP English but didn't do the summer reading ("A Raisin in the Sun," which is all of 93 pp.). But we also gave students who are new to our school 10 extra school days to complete the assignment."
Mom: "Summer is supposed to be for vacations. I don't believe that my son should have to read in the summer."
Me: (thinking but not saying) "Then why the #$%@ did you sign him up for Pre-AP?"

Earlier this week I had to (again) remind one student to turn around and work on her assignment at her table (I have tables, not desks).
She huffed and pouted. Then she wrote "bastard" on the top of her assignment.
Oh, and, yes, this, too, is a Pre-AP student.
Mom's response? She had her daughter write "I will not use vulgariities, or disrespect my teachers" 100 times ... on a computer!! Hello?!? Can you say "cut and paste?"

[mustang59]

Some students are going to be board because they simply aren't interested in learning. While teachers must follow a curriculum most of them try very hard to keep the students interested in what's going on.

[PurpleFreddy]

mustang, where in McKinney are you, exactly?

[Haunta Yo]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
i...by starting a cheating ring that ran deep into the heart of sweetwater high school...we were good, but toward the end of our senior year, we got sloppy and got busted, most of the members that got caught were on the National Honor Society

Pretty sad statement when students today are too lazy to even cheat right...

[PurpleFreddy]

My freshmen are too LAZY to cheat.

[mustang59]

Originally posted by PurpleFreddy
mustang, where in McKinney are you, exactly?

I have a freshman at MHS. If she's in your class please accept my apology! LOL Where do you teach?

[Haunta Yo]

Originally posted by PurpleFreddy
My freshmen are too LAZY to cheat.

Valid counter-point.
Cheating does take some initive and requires a LITTLE bit of effort.

[kaorder1999]

who gives a flying __________. Let them drop out. Maybe we would drop to 2A

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
who gives a flying __________. Let them drop out. Maybe we would drop to 2A

Since your a teacher I hope your kidding. I know your job is hard as hell and you cant save everyone of them, but I would hope you would try your arse off.

I am VERY lucky..I did drop out of HS..did not get my GED, yet I now have a College degree..most dont go that route.

[kaorder1999]

believe me...there are many that will not be saved because they will not allow themself to be saved. Take the 17 year old freshman I have in World Geography for instance. He will NOT make it and reminds administrators daily that he will NOT finish school. And then he will look them in the eyes and tell them to go F themselves.

I prefer to spend my time working with the ones who want to learn. I have no hard feelings towards the ones who drop out. Its a decision they make on their own. But for every 1 that wants to drop out there are a LOT that want to be there and finish school.

[PurpleFreddy]

Originally posted by mustang59
I have a freshman at MHS. If she's in your class please accept my apology! LOL Where do you teach?

freshmen at North ... I taught summer school here last summer, too.

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by Haunta Yo
Pretty sad statement when students today are too lazy to even cheat right...

it wasnt that we couldnt cheat right, its that we thought we wouldn't be as likely to be suspected of cheating if we missed a couple of questions on the tests

[garageoffice]

One of the things I liked about a small school: the work might have been boring, but school never was. You knew everyone, and everything that happened. My class of 24 was almost as much a family as my family!

Maybe I just had a good group, but most of my class enjoyed school. We even got along with the teachers...most of the time. Of course, our teachers also knew the difference between an honest joke and a felony offense. But I guess it was easier back then. When the teachers were given more authority in the classroom, they could also be more understanding.

I do think part of the problem today is that most parents don't prepare their children for a structured learning environment. Instead, they sit them in front of the television to be entertained or hand them a video game. By the time they are in school, they have very little experience with actually listening to a person and no experience sitting in one spot (exception: video games).

On the other side of things, though, a lot of kids are starting off with a less than favorable experience in school that persists all the way through high school, and part of it is the schools' fault. I've been on this soapbox before, but you can't expect most 7 year old boys to sit quiet and still in a chair for six hours each day. My kids get one (1) 15 minute recess break each day! At lunch they must sit, eat and part of the time they are not allowed to talk. When they are finished eating they wait for the entire class, then they have a quick restroom break and go back to class!

When I was a kid, we had a recess in the morning and one in the afternoon, and when you finished eating you could go outside until the lunch period was over. While these recess times were short, probably 10-15 minutes each, they broke up the day and gave rambunctious young boys a way to dissipate some of that energy. What have we done to our kids?

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
it wasnt that we couldnt cheat right, its that we thought we wouldn't be as likely to be suspected of cheating if we missed a couple of questions on the tests :doh: :doh: :doh:

Note to kids: Teachers are smarter than you give them credit for. :p

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
:doh: :doh: :doh:

Note to kids: Teachers are smarter than you give them credit for. :p

no not really dont listen to what she is saying, teachers are easily decieved...we just got greedy and prideful and that led to our downfall, the teachers had no idea what was going on for 3 and 1/2 years. You can cheat and get away with it kids, just remember pride comes before the fall so dont get to prideful

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by PurpleFreddy
This is just bogus crap. Because kids are exposed to visual and audial stimuli almost 24/7, they're complaining that they are bored. So instead of getting to the root of the problem, we tell the teachers they're not doing a good enough job.

Uggggh. Kids today think they have to be entertained 24/7. Every single day (almost every period) I have to warn a kid about an iPod or a cell phone or I have to confiscate one of them. It's time to put the accountability back square on the shoulders of the parents and the children. I am more than ready and willing to use any technique possible to make sure a student gets to learn.

Can you tell I am beat down lately from apathetic and amoral teenagers?
.
I agree PF! Kids these days feel they should be entertained instead of educated. I say bring back corporal punishment. Kids in HS should be held responsible for their work, BUT NO many parents don't want to hurt their kids' wittle feelings by making them responsible.:(
I feel for you PF because it looks that these days the inmates are running the asylum.:eek:
Bring back accountability for everyone!:clap:

[mustang04]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
no not really dont listen to what she is saying, teachers are easily decieved...we just got greedy and prideful and that led to our downfall, the teachers had no idea what was going on for 3 and 1/2 years. You can cheat and get away with it kids, just remember pride comes before the fall so dont get to prideful

i agree...if someone is smart enough to get away with cheating, then obviously they have some brains and deserve the grade they get, even if they cheated for it....Dre, remember in Alvarados class whenever i did the index card for whitley for our final...i'd just do my notes then tape them, remove the tape pulling the top layer of graphite and then tape it onto his card....EASY MONEY:D

[TheDOCTORdre]

Disclaimer: I would like to point out that me and my friends were bored in high school, because we were really smart, not because we weren't being entertained, but because we weren't really being challenged. Also I would like to say that I was just joking about my comment about teachers being able to be decieved only some of them are not all of them

[mustang04]

SIDE NOTE: I do not cheat now cuz getting caught in highschool is WAYYYYYYY different than getting caught in college....i don't wanna risk getting kicked out of school

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by mustang04
i agree...if someone is smart enough to get away with cheating, then obviously they have some brains and deserve the grade they get, even if they cheated for it....Dre, remember in Alvarados class whenever i did the index card for whitley for our final...i'd just do my notes then tape them, remove the tape pulling the top layer of graphite and then tape it onto his card....EASY MONEY:D

ya remember we did that for physics too...as well as getting the homework extended so we could get the answers of the internet. I used to make about $50s per UT HW assignment

[mustang04]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
ya remember we did that for physics too...as well as getting the homework extended so we could get the answers of the internet. I used to make about $50s per UT HW assignment

we were geniuses

we should make a show for the discovery channel...."To Cheat in School" haha....we can go to different schools and show how easy it is and the different ways to cheat on a test....i guaruntee you....if i was really THAT bad....i could cheat in ANY teachers class

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by mustang04
we were geniuses

we should make a show for the discovery channel...."To Cheat in School" haha....we can go to different schools and show how easy it is and the different ways to cheat on a test....i guaruntee you....if i was really THAT bad....i could cheat in ANY teachers class

Remember that time we got narked on by "someone" in Clarks class but we all realized what was happening before the quiz started and only one person got caught by Mr. Fryar

[mustang04]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
Remember that time we got narked on by "someone" in Clarks class but we all realized what was happening before the quiz started and only one person got caught by Mr. Fryar

haha...yep...i turned so white when i got caught...but that doesnt count, cuz i didn't know that punk would be hiding in the hallway peaking around the lockers...you KNOW he enjoyed his 3 minutes of 'recon' work haha

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by mustang04
haha...yep...i turned so white when i got caught...but that doesnt count, cuz i didn't know that punk would be hiding in the hallway peaking around the lockers...you KNOW he enjoyed his 3 minutes of 'recon' work haha
talking about CLarks class reminds me of when they first made the AV room and we would beg her to go in there and then we would play with the cameras in there

[mustang04]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
talking about CLarks class reminds me of when they first made the AV room and we would beg her to go in there and then we would play with the cameras in there

haha....ZOOOOOOOM in haha

[mustang59]

Originally posted by PurpleFreddy
freshmen at North ... I taught summer school here last summer, too.
My son went there his freshman year. That was the first year North opened and all the freshmen went there and then he went to MHS the next year.