The Life of 3.14

Today’s post will be thoughts from students. One of the students is my own son and daughter, who both attend a different high school. The other responses came from a class survey I gave to my freshmen advisory class and my other six math classes. The responses range from 9th thru 12th graders and from regular math classes to AP classes. I asked four different questions and kept the responses anonymous, so to lead to more truthful answers. In all, over 150 students responded. The following is a summary of their thoughts from the top four responses in each question. The number next to the response represents the popularity ranking of that particular response.

“If you could change one major thing about how school works today, what would it be and why?”

#4 Mental Health – more access to counselors and a higher priority of students mental well being rather than just grades.

#3 Abolish Standardized Testing – too much pressure on one test that feels disconnected from what they’re actually learning in school and doesn’t actually represent just how well they’ll do in college.

#2 Homework Reform – there’s too much homework, especially from the AP students, which ties into their mental health and lack of sleep. Kids are far more active in extracurriculars than in past generations and homework needs to shift with that change.

#1 More Life Skills – students want to know how to cook, balance a checkbook, manage money and be able to make home and car repairs.

“How can your teachers better show that they care about your personal development and well-being?”

#4 Taking Interest in their Personal Interests – check in on how they performed in their games, the school play or whatever else they take passion in after school.

#3 My opinion matters – they have opinions on most everything and they want to know that their voice matters.

#2 Cut us some slack – sometimes life comes up and they just couldn’t get the assignment done on time. They want to know that we care enough about them as individuals that we should be understandable when something else comes up causing them to finish their assignment late.

#1 Check in on me – students want to know that you see them as a person first and a student second.

“What teaching strategies or activities help you learn most effectively, and which ones do you find less helpful?”

#4 When will I use this? – kids want to know the “why” they need to know something hand how will it be applied. Stop teaching dates and facts without providing context of why it’s important.

#3 Less PowerPoints – technology has advanced, but classroom lectures haven’t. Students want more visuals and videos, they react and remember them more.

#2 Let’s work together – the more collaboration within a group or one-on-one conversations with a peer, work better and brake up the monotony of pure lecture.

#1 Project based assignments are ideal – the more hands on opportunities the better. Working on projects, especially with a partner or group, is far less stressful than a test only environment.

“When you think about your life after graduation, how do the current political climate and the rise of AI affect your sense of security or optimism for the future?”

#4 Will I live at home my whole life? – between the rising costs of everything and the possibility of AI taking over their jobs, they’re worried about how they’ll manage their finances.

#3 How can I be the best of understanding AI? – students recognize AI as something that is inevitable, so they want to know how they can become the “best” at actually using AI.

#2 I’m moving! – because of politics, our country has become so divided that a large portion of students that responded say they want to leave the country after college. It’s a problem that they recognize adults created and they don’t want to be a part of it.

#1 Are their any careers left? – students are most worried about whether or not they’ll actually be able to get a job after college or will have AI taken over. If that’s the case, is it even worth going to college?

Pretty heady stuff and almost unrecognizable from what was on my mind coming out of high school. My first thought was empathy and to be honest, a little sadness. I think a lot of their responses emphasized my thoughts from my last post about the importance of making connections, but the remainder will keep my mind busy for awhile. As an educator that cares about my students well being, I’m not quite sure what to say about how their thinking. Today, I don’t have the answers. Perhaps next post I’ll have some thoughts and perhaps an idea or two. Regardless, I’m proud to be teaching these very thoughtful, bright and understandably worried kids. I want to help and if you’re reading this post, I know you do too!.