Laziness

As a teacher, I believe the most frustrating behavior a student can display is laziness.

Laziness:

Disinclined to activity or exertion:
not energetic or vigorous
Moving slowly
Droopy, lax
Encouraging inactivity or indolence

I recognize that laziness exists in all professions and children as well as adults can suffer from it.  In my experience, laziness comes in numerous forms and affects very different kinds of students. I used to believe that laziness was only something that unintelligent and unmotivated students did, but now that I have worked in two starkly contrasting school systems, I see now that laziness does not discriminate between the very rich and the very poor, the very intelligent and the very "less intelligent". 

Lets look at the different kind of "lazy kids" out there:

There are the smart kids....they are lazy because they have already figured everything out and don't feel the need to waste their time completing menial classroom tasks that won't improve their depth of knowledge in any way. They understand material quickly and are very skilled at analysis and interpretation. Their laziness stems from a desire for efficiency and selfishness. They don't want to waste their time doing a task that is not going to directly benefit them in any way. 

Then there are the intellectually lacking kids...they are lazy because they don't understand the material and rather than get frustrated or take the time and effort to learn, they have simply given up on themselves and their abilities to ever rise above (why bother?)

There are the average kids...they are lazy because they aren't the smartest, nor are they the dumbest. They just want to do the bare minimum required of them and then move on. They don't have any intrinsic motivation to succeed (no dreams or goals to drive them to keep them going). 

There are the cool kids....they are lazy because they don't want to seem like they care or be perceived as a nerd. They expend too much energy trying to shape and define their social life that they don't have enough energy leftover to do homework, pay attention in class or work hard at school. 

There are the hurt kids....they are lazy because they have likely been bullied or abused and they don't want to put forth any effort or enthusiasm into anything because they fear it will get taken away or used against them and they don't want to have to suffer any more hurt. 

The list goes on and on. Laziness is a pervasive disease. An epidemic all around the world, but mainly infecting teenagers between the ages of 14-18. 

So why does laziness frustrate me so much?

I was raised with the mentality that you have to work hard to achieve success. I never took anything for granted and I never had the desire or impulse to cheat the system. I worked hard because I wanted to be the best. I wanted to impress my family, friends and teachers and myself above all else. 

It is quite a challenge for me as a teacher to remain objective and not inflict my judgment upon my students. Every single person is entitled to their own unique educational experience. My way is not always the right way. What works for me will not work for everyone. It is the obligation of teachers to employ numerous strategies and tactics to reach out to students, assist in their learning and educate them. 

But what if you are already doing that and students still aren't responding? In the United States, the teacher is blamed. The teacher is always blamed. Though I don't consider myself a perfect teacher by any means, I most certainly do not have perfect students. 

Most days I feel as though I am bringing 110% of effort to the plate and my students are only giving me 20%. I teach, I explain, I assess, I analyze, I encourage, I question, I enliven discussion. While this is not true of all my students, the majority of them just sit there. They refuse to take ownership over their education and push themselves to succeed. At this prestigious international school I think a lot of that lack of motivation stems from the fact that these students have no incentive to succeed. They know that they are going to get into a college, they know that their parents will be able to pay for it and they know that they'll be more or less "set" in the real world thanks to the success of their family. 

I think about my students in Boston. Many of my students were lazy and sought ways to cheat the system, but at least those students had some mildly valid excuses for their academic laziness. The students I currently teach have NO REASON to be lazy! Its not as if they have jobs! Almost all my students in Chelsea had part-time, if not full-time jobs, throughout the year. Though I also don't consider having a job a Dunkin Donuts to be a worthy enough excuse to slack off in school, at least that demonstrates a commitment to some goal or objective. I often used to fantasize that if my Chelsea students had been born into a wealthy, happy and supportive family they would have been able to achieve success....yet the experiences of my current students seem to suggest otherwise. 

What can I do as a teacher to combat laziness?

* Create more meaningful assignments that students will want to complete

* Create more difficult assignments that students can't cheat or plagiarize

* Be more vigilant with attacking plagiarism

* Criticize bad or lazy work (embarrass them into working harder?)

Unfortunately, I don't think boosting my own determination or focused efforts will be able to over-compensate for my students' lack of trying. Their motivation must come from within themselves.