Someone+Should+Care+-+I'll+Get+Right+on+That



"Student apathy is like Kryptonite for an average teacher; But, it's a personal

challenge for a great one." -Joe Martin

Overview  The purpose of the public education system in America is anything but simple. The public education system is dutifully held to high standards to educate students equally, teach them a variety of skills, prepare them for their future, help them problem-solve and think critically, help them to become ever-evolving members of society, and much, much more (Peifer, 2014). Students are given opportunities to ponder their possible career paths and discover the opportunities of colleges and universities beyond the walls of their school. They are able to expand their hobbies with a variety of extracurricular classes and better prepare themselves for the workforce that awaits them when they graduate.

 **So imagine this**: A young man sits in the back of his 12th grade Multicultural English class. While his classmates participate in an ongoing discussion surrounding the thematic elements in //Frankenstein//, this young man stares blankly at the teacher who is standing at the front of the room. He has yet to participate in the discussion, ensuring a zero for his participation grade for the day. In fact, he has yet to score higher than a 20 on //any// participation grade the entire year. Being his senior year, this young man should be on the brink of independence, prepared to pack up and head to college come fall, prepared to enter the workforce and take on adult-life, prepared to cut ties of dependency from his parents. And somehow, among all of the opportunities this young man encountered not only during his senior year of high school, but throughout his entire career as a student, he remains unprepared. He failed to become a part of a single sports team, club organization, or extracurricular endeavor. This young man scored above average on his IQ test, but his grades say otherwise. He never took advantage of the AP, pre-AP, or honors courses that he certainly could have qualified for. Instead, at the end of his senior year of high school, this young apathetic man has failed. He will barely graduate, but he will walk across the stage. And then what?

 With the endless amounts of opportunities that are laid at the feet of students in the public education system, there are still many students who come away unprepared because they have “loafed through their four years” of high school, unable to see the value in the opportunities offered to them in school (Chan, 2011). America spends more than every single country per student annually, except for Switzerland, on education (OECD, 2014). With all of this spending, America remains behind. In 2015, students participated in a general exam to test abilities in math, science, and reading. About 70 countries, including the United States, took part in the exam. While America spends more than nearly every other country on its students, facilities, and educational achievement programs to boost scores and increase rigor and readiness, students in America were outperformed by other students in “36 countries in math; 18 countries in science, and 14 courtiers in reading” (Kerr, 2016). This problem is largely attributed to the growing problem that is student apathy. It is even hypothesized that students may be choosing to be apathetic to avoid being considered “average” or “below-average,” choosing instead to seem as if they do not care at all (Raffini, 1986). As a result of this, the students are sheltered not only from the opportunities surrounding them within their school community, but also in the community outside of school. This lack of motivation within the walls of the school is disengaging students from their school work, but it is also becoming a detriment to their future once they leave the safety of their school. It can be said that the high school environment, in some ways, replicates that of the real world students will soon be entering (Chan, 2011). There are authority figures, deadlines, workloads, and a variety of rules that must be followed. School requires students to utilize their time management skills, involve themselves in the here and now while still maintaining focus on their future. Yet, by the time students realize time wasted, the time they’ve spent goofing off, skipping class, and sitting in the back of the classroom zoned out of the lesson, the time they only put forth half of their fullest potential rather than all of it in each assignment and project they were given, it is often too late. By this point, the opportunities that had been laid in front of them have long disappeared and they are forced to enter the real world unprepared, without the guidance and assistance they should have taken when given the chance.

Trend, Issue, or Trending Issue?  Student apathy is something teachers, parents, and administrators have struggled with for decades. Additionally, student apathy is not something seen in a single group of students. It is a problem among high school and middle school students, but even university students (Scott) and elementary students (Schou, 2015). With a problem where there is such a wide variety of students who are lacking motivation in schools, this is the question that remains: Is student apathy an issue or a trend? A trend is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a general direction is which something is developing or changing” whereas issue is defined as “an important topic/problem up for debate or discussion” (OED). While it is believed that the trend of student apathy has likely changed over the last century, it appears as though the trend has become an issue and is certainly up for discussion. The question that persists is //whose// issue is it?

Student apathy in schools is seen through two lenses. Some see this lack of motivation in students as the student’s problem. It is the students after all that lack the motivation and it is their job to wake up and smell the opportunities around them. By high school, students are of the age where more responsibility is being placed on them and thus it is the job of the student to take advantage of the opportunities. However, students can often become even more unmotivated and overwhelmed by this responsibility when too much is placed on them to prepare for the future. Yet, it can even be inability to care about the simplest of tasks that causes this issue. Students are often blamed for being on their iPhones, iPods, and fidget spinners doing things like brushing their hair and putting on makeup instead of bringing to class things like books, pens, and notebooks (Condron).

 Others, however, see the issue of student apathy as the teacher’s doing and their problem to “fix”. Students are disengaged from the lesson, falling asleep, and on their phones in class because they are bored. They believe that if the lessons were more engaging and the students had more choice, students would be more motivated and therefore more prepared for their future. There are innumerable resources out there that provide recommendations for teachers on how to “fix” the problem of disengagement and apathy. For instance, teachers need to “check to see if the student is getting the proper amount of sleep” and “check the possibility of the student using drugs or alcohol” (Daily & Daly). Additionally, teachers are supposed to talk to the child’s parents, call on the student in class, but only “when you know he/she will answer correctly”. The teacher should give the student “one-on-one attention” and should “never criticize” the student. Additionally, the teacher needs to “give the student leadership jobs in the classroom” and “allow the student to be apart of the decision-making process” while still maintaining control over the classroom.

 With various individuals pointing the finger at students, teachers, principals, parents, and even members of the community it can be hard to find a solution. In addition, this isn’t a problem that is seen in solely high school students. In fact, many have seen this issue of student apathy occurring as early as elementary school (Schou, 2015). By the time these students, who have lacked motivation for nearly a decade, finish high school, they are at a loss. They are suddenly expected to be motivated in terms of excelling and creating a future for themselves when they’ve never been able to do it in the past.

 With all of this in mind, it cannot be overlooked that the apathy seen in so many students across our nation could very well have authentic roots. Students “are afraid to fail, have troubled home lives, [and] experience peer pressure” (Condron). Others, however, simply have realized that they can get by with doing the bare minimum. There are hundreds of reasons why the kids in schools do not care. And yet, there //is// something that can be done about it. There are schools all over the nation taking on student apathy and changing the entire perspective of education for both teachers and students. One such place exists right here in Georgia: the [|Ron Clark Academy]. This middle school, situated in Southeast Atlanta, was established in 2007, a mere decade ago, and yet has already been recognized both nationally and internationally for “success in educating students with academic rigor, passion, and creativity balanced by a strict code of discipline” (The Ron Clark Academy). These students are not only being engaged and enjoying the content they are learning, but the rigor and discipline and behavior expectations remain the same if not much higher than that of the public schools in America today. //This// type of educational institution, this attitude toward students and their learning, this expectation for students to behave and exceed goals, this motivation embodied by students to do their very best is what is needed in //all// public schools in America, and it //is// possible.

 Overcoming student apathy is no easy feat. It requires a comprehensive equation where teachers, parents, students, administrators, and even the community come together to embody the same perspective and attitude toward educating students. When this happens, when differences can be set aside and attitudes can be changed, student apathy can be overcome and can be converted into the success that teachers, parents, students, administrators, and members of the community all desire and deserve.

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** **** - ** Annotated Bibliography Apathy is Boring but Astoundingly Common. (2006). //The Gazette. //Retrieved from <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">http://www.usc.uwo.ca/gazette/generate_campus.asp?day=23&month=11&year=2006 //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Photo: Student apathy cartoon of two female students talking //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Chan, Amanda. (2011). American Student Apathy Prevents Success in School and Life. Retrieved from PennLive.com //<span style="font-family: Century Gothic,serif;">Article discussing the issue of student apathy in schools and the detriment it can have on students, teachers, and even society. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Condron, Annie. (n.d.). When Kids Don’t Care: Battling Student Apathy. Retrieved from TeachHUB.com. //<span style="font-family: Century Gothic,serif;">Blog post discussing the frustration teachers experience with student apathy in the classroom and possible ways to overcome it. Photo: Young male student seemingly bored during class //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Dailey, Matt & Daly, Pat. (n.d.). Disengagement and Apathy: Recommendations for Teachers. Pg. 1-3. //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">A long, detailed list of recommendations for teachers on how to solve student apathy in their classrooms. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Gao, Rebecca. (2010). Apathy Lies with Students, Not School. //Daily Trojan.// Retrieved from [] <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">//Photo: Waste bin of organizations' flyers and newsletters//

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Kerr, Jennifer C. (2016). Internationally, U.S. Students are Falling. Retrieved from [] //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Report on United States' student achievement compared to that of other nations in the world. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Oxford English Dictionary. (n.d.) Retrieved June 01, 2017, from [] <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">//Website giving the exact definitions for the terms "trend" and "issue".//

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">OECD. (2014). //Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators,// OECD Publishing. [] <span style="font-family: Century Gothic,serif;">//Published report and article detailing the expenditures of the United States on public education in comparison to other countries per student.//

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Peifer, Angie. (2014). The Purpose of Public Education and the Role of the School Board. //National School Boards Assocation.// //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Detailed information regarding the supposed purpose of the public education system in The United States today. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Raffini, James P. (1986). Student Apathy: A Motivational Dilemma. //Educational Leadership,// pg. 53-55. //<span style="font-family: Century Gothic,serif;">Article discussing possible causes of student apathy in the classroom. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Schou, Rebecca A. (2015). Countering Student Apathy to Increase Student Engagement. //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Walden University. // //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Dissertation discussing the problem of student apathy that is present particularly in elementary school students. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Scott, Alina. (n.d.). Apathy Among University Students. Retrieved from [] //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Article discussing the issue of student apathy that is present particularly in university students. //

<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">The Ron Clark Academy. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.ronclarkacademy.com //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic',serif;">Website detailing the purpose of The Ron Clark Academy, which is located in Atlanta, Georgia. //