TL;DR:
- Apathy is not a personal attack on a teacher. Apathy is a sign that there are some roadblocks that need to be removed.
- Often, the “why” for a student’s apathy makes sense.
- We have to stop labeling students as apathetic before they have the chance to prove us wrong. We need to care about why they don’t care.
- Let’s turn apathy to our advantage. Let’s figure out the “why” behind the apathy to connect with students and show them we are on their side.
“Kids are so apathetic these days. Doesn’t matter what you do. It gets worse every year.”
The sentiment is one I have heard since I began teaching five years ago. Brand new, fresh out of the package, newbie teacher me began to fret about how I could possibly get these kids to care about academics.
Apathy? How am I supposed to combat apathy? I didn’t have a class on this in college.
Student apathy is a struggle teachers face every day. Sometimes I tell my students, “I can’t care about your grades more than you do,” and it is true. Caring too much about a child’s success when that child is truly apathetic can be frustrating; not only that, it is a waste of our time. However, just because a child is apathetic does not make them a lost cause.
Take the time to push past the universal 'I don’t know' answer that students always give. We need to care about why they don't care. Share on XFast forward five years, and I saw a student’s name on my roster that filled me with dread. This kid doesn’t do anything. I already know from other teachers that he doesn’t care. This kid will bring down my scores.
One day, after getting irritated by this student who couldn’t care less about his grades, my frustration drove me to have a conversation with him. I wasn’t optimistic and the desire for a talk was initially less out of concern and more out of anger. It’s hard not to be offended or at least annoyed when you are teaching your heart out and students have their heads down, shrug when you ask them a question, and do anything other than the assignment.
I asked him to stay after class and his eyes grew wide, expecting to be in trouble. I asked him why he does not put effort into his school work, and reviewed his grades with him. At first, he said “I don’t know” repeatedly. I felt my blood pressure begin to sky rocket. I even took it personally, thinking why would he do this to me?
After some carefully measured deep breaths, I reigned in my anger and attempted to radiate concern instead of rage. The truth is, this student was not doing anything to me. He was really only hurting himself (which is, really, even more sad).
Apathy is not a personal attack on a teacher. Apathy is a sign that there are some roadblocks that need to be removed.
Once he realized I was not mad, just concerned, he started talking, albeit reluctantly at first. After he told me his current circumstances, I understood. I looked at him with a more empathetic lens instead of blaming it on the typical “he just doesn’t care.” What mattered is that he knew that I cared about the why.
The problem is, it’s hard to care about the correct structure of an introductory paragraph or a complex math problem when you don’t currently have a stable home. Or when the only meal you get in a day is at the school. Since that conversation, this student has been trying more. Not a lot. He’s still not trying enough to be 100% prepared for a test. But I see more effort than before, and that is a win in my book.
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It is crucial that we stop expecting indifference from students; unfortunately, sometimes we expect it before they even walk through our door.
Often, the “why” for a student’s apathy makes sense. Sometimes, I am an apathetic teacher (can you say the week before summer break, anyone?) because I am tired and I’ve poured my heart and soul into students and grading and planning for ten months. I have a reason when I’m feeling apathetic. Why wouldn’t our students?
Sure, the “this child is just apathetic” thoughts can hold some truth. There are certainly students who really make me hustle for my paycheck while I attempt to instill some intrinsic motivation.
We have to stop labeling students as apathetic before they have the chance to prove us wrong—before they have the chance to explain. Take the time to push past the universal “I don’t know” answer that students always give. We need to care about why they don’t care.
I learned that students are more willing to care when their teachers don’t write them off as lazy and a lost cause, but instead take the time to understand where the behavior is coming from.
Teachers, let’s turn apathy to our advantage. Let’s figure out the “why” behind the apathy to connect with students and show them we are on their side.
About Amanda Scott
Amanda Scott is an eighth grade English Language Arts teacher living in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is currently pursuing her Education Specialist degree through a local college part-time. Amanda has wanted to be a teacher since she was a child, constantly talking (or forcing) her younger brother to “play school” with her. That dream never faded away, and now she is in her fifth year of teaching middle school. While teaching has its challenges, and she is deeply exhausted at the end of each day, she would not change it for anything. Writing is how she has learned to deal with the hard parts of teaching and celebrate the good moments that happen as well. When Amanda is not in the classroom, you can find her spending time with her husband and two adorable cat-children, hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, reading, or going tent camping with her family.
