As the clock ticks ever so slowly, many students find themselves trapped in a classroom where time seems to drag at a snail’s pace. Often, the mind wonders, making them think about anything other than what’s being taught. This situation is something a lot of students know too well.
But why does school sometimes seem so boring?
A lot of students occasionally feel bored during the school year, but the trouble comes if it becomes an ongoing issue. That may start affecting academic performance, and lead students to dislike the school overall.
Top 7 possible reasons why students feel boredom in school
There can be different reasons why students might find school so boring and stressful. To start, here’s the list of the most common reasons students feel bored in class.
The purpose of the lessons isn’t clear
When students don’t understand something they’re learning, the easiest way is to label the school boring and useless. That’s why it’s crucial that teachers point out the reasons why each lesson will be valuable to know and connect it to real-world experience.
This is important, especially in elementary school, where young students are just starting to form opinions and feelings about school, and high school students might behave like they already know everything.
They Don’t See Many Benefits
If students don’t see how their studying can be of use to them, how it relates to real-life situations or future opportunities, they become demotivated.
This can accumulate feelings of frustration and resentment towards the learning experience as students start to see it as an imposed obligation
It’s important to keep in mind that students with no motivation are not lazy, they just might not grasp why it’s important to learn this material, because they’re not being taught in a way that connects with them.
Lack of individuality in learning
School classes are usually packed in academic boxes, consisting of timetables that need to be followed, rooms you learn in, types of lessons and the way of presenting them. Although it is good for students to develop good and healthy study habits like that, it can also become boring and predictable.
Every student is an individual and has their own approach to learning, from the time they learn, their own pace of learning, to the way of retaining information. So, a standard learning package might not work for everyone, as some students might not understand the lessons and start to feel unmotivated.
Too much to do
Students can get overwhelmed with assignments and deadlines, and their creativity and critical thinking can be lost over time. Instead of exploring new ideas, coming up with innovative solutions, or challenging what they’re told, students may find themselves merely checking boxes on a list of requirements.
This pressure might make learning more about memorizing and repeating information instead of understanding and asking questions.
Gifted students often consider school days boring, because they don’t need help, and can usually figure out things fast by themselves. But not all under-challenged students have to be gifted, because most students are pretty smart and capable.
If solving tasks becomes too easy for them, they might lose interest and start doing them without editing and rechecking, which can lead to bad grades and the lack of motivation.
Need more help
Students who struggle with learning often feel bored and disconnected because the usual ways of teaching don’t meet their learning needs.
When they can’t understand the lessons, they might lose interest, leading to a cycle of frustration and feeling like they’re not getting enough attention and help through studying.
The feeling of isolation – lack of connection with peers or teachers
Some students can’t keep up with the pace of teaching, causing them to feel lost and disengaged, leading to boredom and a lack of interest in the subject.
This situation can give them a sense of isolation, as they might see themselves as different from their classmates and misunderstood by teachers, which can lower their motivation even more.
If they don’t get enough help and support, they might start to feel like failures, harming their confidence and how well they do in school.
Mental health concerns
Feeling bored at school may be a sign that students are facing challenges at home, such as divorce, relocation, financial difficulties, or the loss of a family member.
They may also be dealing with mental health issues like depression, separation anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress, or hyperactivity disorder, which can all contribute to a lack of interest and falling behind in school.
How to help students overcome boredom
To keep students interested in class, it’s important to find out why they might not be paying attention.
- Make sure they know why what they’re learning is important – show them how it relates to the real world and their own goals. When students see why they’re learning something, they’re more likely to care about it;
- Talk with students and try to get their feedback – learning about what students think and how they feel can also help us understand why they’re bored and make them feel more involved in their education;
- Give lessons a unique theme – organizing lessons around a theme can make learning more exciting, and going on field trips lets students see how what they learn in class works in the real world;
- Group projects – also, doing group projects can make learning more interactive and fun, help students dive deeper into subjects, work better with others, and develop their social skills. It’s good for students to think about why they might be bored and to talk about it openly, so they can figure out what they need to stay engaged;
- Make students feel supported – for students who are dealing with mental health issues or have learning disabilities, it’s very important to make sure they feel supported and know they can ask for help. School counselors can give them the social-emotional support they need, with advice and resources that fit them. Encouraging students to talk to counselors can help them deal with their feelings and find better ways to cope, making their school experience better;
- Create a caring and connected classroom community – this can also make students feel less alone, helping them connect with classmates and teachers and making them more excited and interested in learning.
There Is No Room for Boredom in EduWW
The way EduWW conducts the education process really makes us stand out from other online schools.
Our students often say something like this:
–“This was the best online class ever.”
–“I used to hate Geography, but now I love it because of online classes with my tutor.”
–“We can’t wait for our next class.”
-“I look forward to the school break, but I will miss our group classes. They are the best thing ever.”
We are incredibly joyful when we get comments like this, but as a school, we work hard to create a friendly, judgment-free, and above all, healthy environment for our students.
Our tutors play a massive part in it. Maybe it sounds unlikely, but sometimes students don’t want to exit the zoom call because they are having such a good time in class.
But how are our tutors so successful in making their classes so exciting?
Interaction Is the Key
What makes EduWW classes exciting and different? Firstly, and most importantly, our well-educated and dedicated tutors take their job very seriously. They’re extremely diligent and focused on the progress of each student.
When it comes to group classes, our tutors make sure that they include everyone. They encourage lesson-related discussions and help students overcome any difficulties during a school year.
Whether it’s material-based, or perhaps a student needs help in overcoming timidity and shyness when speaking in front of others, our tutors give their best to create a friendly and educational atmosphere for everyone.
Secondly, our school offers individual classes that make a massive difference in the students’ school experience. Other than being an opportunity for them to ask any questions they might have in private, they can also connect with a tutor on a more personal level.
That comes in handy for both parties. Our tutors adapt their approach based on the personal needs of a student, and getting to know them better is an essential part of that process.
Getting to that friendly level with tutors helps students relax and be more open. Thus, the learning process becomes more fun and engaging for both students and tutors.
As we have mentioned, adapting the approach to students’ personal needs, interests, and capacity is what EduWW is all about. We put our students first and adjust the system to their needs and not the other way around.
Thirdly, when it comes to group classes, we aim to encourage everyone to take a stand, have an opinion, and appreciate others’ thoughts. Tutors motivate students to engage in discussion and motivate everyone to ask questions.
As a school, we try to introduce freshness to each class and exceed that traditional one-way method of learning where students just sit and listen.
Interactive Platform
Our online learning platform also makes a difference in the comprehension process. It contributes to the fun part of learning as well. The platform is interactive and makes every lesson much more interesting.
To put it simply, our students don’t in classrooms with 20+ other children listening to a teacher’s monotone voice while scribbling with chalk or marker on the board. In EduWW, you get to watch amazing educational videos and animations.
You get to participate in interactive puzzles and take mini-quizzes as well. You can also prepare in advance since you can access all of the learning material on your own, anytime you want.
Where Do Our Tutors Draw a Healthy Line?
If all this sounds too fun for you, don’t forget our tutors. Our tutors are always there to keep everything in line and checked. They work extremely hard to provide our students with the best possible education.
Based on their experience, the atmosphere in an online class may become a bit noisy, especially during group one. Our school policy is to establish friendly relationships with students, which contributes to that but fear not.
“If I notice that the atmosphere in class is getting a bit out of line, I immediately respond accordingly. I encourage students to talk one by one and always listen to the other side. It can be tricky to calm them down, especially teenagers, but mentioning some of their interests and then including others in an argumentative discussion related to the lesson is an excellent way to go”
-says Bo Miller, one of our patient and hardworking tutors.
Do Youngest Students Get Bored?
Our tutors admit it. The youngest children are the trickiest to work with. However, we suggest shorter classes for children that go to elementary school.
We offer a package that includes individual classes, along with group ones, and a student can choose the duration. If a student opts for that, we strongly recommend that elementary students attend 30 minutes long individual classes.
In that way, the tutor has just enough time to cover and explain the whole lesson. Consequently, a lesson won’t overburden a child, and they will have just enough concentration to keep up.
On top of that, our learning platform makes them interested in the material. It’s colorful, and it visually stimulates students. Calm noises and easy puzzles keep their wheels turning. In that way, the learning experience for kids becomes much more engaging and exciting.
In Conclusion
Feeling bored at school is a big problem that comes from many reasons, such as not understanding clearly, not having personalized ways of learning, having too much work, and dealing with mental health issues. It’s important to find and solve the root causes to make school more interesting and fun.
In the end, we want to change “boring” to “exciting” and make sure all students can do their best.
