Every day, many high school students have the same thought running through their heads: I have schoolwork to do.
It’s the same thing, over and over again, day after day, week after week.
This has led to mass amounts of apathy or a lack of interest.
That could explain why people don’t want to do their work or simply don’t care.
“One thing is definitely the impact of smartphones and all the distractions that it enables,” computer science teacher Jeffrey Yearout said. “This creates a frame of mind of ‘I must be entertained at all times’ for those who get endlessly sucked into being on their phones. This happens to adults as well; this isn’t just a teenager thing.”
Though it was some time ago, Yearout believes the pandemic is still a big factor in apathy.
“Another one is the residual impact of habits formed during the pandemic,” Yearout said. “I hate keeping that as an excuse here nearly five years later, but I think it is merited. During those stretches where students were doing school remotely, and policies about grading were softened, I think a lot of students got very conditioned to just not having to work as hard or at all, and that effect is still lingering.”
As a result of that, nothing changed.
Since COVID-19, many teachers have started giving breaks throughout their classes; for many, getting back into the classroom routine was tough.
“84 minutes can be a long time,” English teacher Ed Belsan said. “The breaks have nothing to do with apathetic students for me. I seek to combat disengagement by having a well-planned, actively engaging, and strongly interactive class, being away from the desks and moving around the room.”
Though breaks are only implemented in his last classes of the day, Belsan believes that they are necessary for class success.
“I believe that strong, effective teaching begins with regularized procedures and strong classroom management,” Belsan said.
At this point in one’s academic life, there is a lot to worry about. College applications, classes that are progressively getting harder, burnout, jobs and trying to balance a social life all at once have numerous people wanting to give up.
How can apathy in students be solved?
Is it motivation? Discipline? Or is it both?
“I think it’s motivation and discipline. I’m hardly ever motivated. Thinking about the consequences of not doing my work makes me more motivated to do it,” junior Kaitlynn McKaig said.
If you push yourself hard enough, you can push through apathy.
“Motivation is a tricky thing because ultimately it is intrinsic,” Yearout said. “No one can motivate a person but themselves. A parent, teacher, or coach can do things to encourage and cajole someone into doing things, whether it be positive things or negative things but those really are just short-term fixes. The only way any habit takes hold and gets maintained is if the person has the desire to do so on an ongoing basis.”