Student Apathy: A Teacher's Opportunity

Today our classrooms overflow with eager learners in our high schools. Yet, amongst the idyllic and academic bound student remains a misguided and apathetic child. That student sticks in our minds as teachers, not always in a positive light, but more often as the creator of tension amongst the productivity of the class. The signs are apparent in their behavior and attitude in the classroom. That isolated student is generally a quick scapegoat for all that is non-conducive to the chemistry of a roster of pupils.

What are some of the signs of discontent? Perhaps the student is often late for class, or more likely always forgetting their assignment, not prepared and generally sullen when approached by both teacher and peer alike. They certainly may present a verbal or physical threat to everyone's well-being. We as teachers can be prone to letting that individual become an aside in the greater scheme of things because a greater percentage of the class indicates a desire to learn, or ultimately comply with the lesson and philosophy at hand. Their ability to sway the class to a negative outcome only lends to the teacher's dislike of their persona and their desire to have the student disappear altogether. In fact, more often than not, that student's absence on a daily basis may come as a relief to the class altogether. Ah, the teacher might say to the class, "we can get something done today without (problem child)'s presence to distract us". That outcome is a fair assessment; I've experienced the feeling myself on many occasions. What options are there to prevent this ritual of discontent that an individual harbors and passes on to the easily influenced and swayed peer? A suggestion might perhaps be to better understand the difficult student, and make an effort to include them, not simply by patronage but more importantly by greater empathy towards that baggage they might carry into class each day.

Students are sponges in the classroom, whether they are high achievers or wallflowers that indicate apathy towards any subject. By sponges, they soak in all of the material presented as truth, and by wallflower or skeptic one might imagine them to have a negative reaction to any lesson learned. The fact that student visibly ignores everything present, causes us to forget they do still have an inherent right to be listening to the presentation, and may inevitably be taking in more than the eye might see. That student that rolls in with attitude that scares and intimidates everyone around them, has desires and passions like everyone else, yet, they are unable to tap into them because of previous behavior, labels and failed intervention.

In too many school hallways, we see the distracted, disillusioned student that seems unapproachable and destined for a life of crime and loneliness, and yet, we walk past them on a daily basis, trying to not get so close that we draw attention to them, through eye contact or interaction. We'd rather leave them alone than have them interfere with our safety net; our worry and anxiety compelling situations different than is our usual comfort zone.

Yet, we have a responsibility as teachers to challenge ourselves in those scenarios. It is our passion to reach every student, not just with words and packets in the classroom, but through simple human interaction.

Think about this, why does that student show up every day at the start of school, despite being a problem irritant the majority of the time? Why wouldn't they run off to the local hideaway for the day, truancy mandates aside? It's because school is generally the safest place for them at present. Their home might be complete chaos and in the safe confines of school, that prison of walls and academics, they know they're generally not going to be physically, mentally or sexually assaulted for that six or seven hours of class-time.

Teachers, we need to take advantage of those moments and try to connect. Our responsibility is to reach every student in as grand a manner as we can, and that duty demands energy and passion to pass along to each individual a desire to watch them thrive and grow as young human beings. That challenge is not an easy one, but I ask you next time you notice that student that is not seemingly geared up to follow their peers in exact a manner as we would all wish, define in your own mind what is apathy and how can I change its grasp on our children today? Let that be your mantra as an instructor; an ironic twist of semantics we might find ourselves as professionals, realizing as an ability to not leave any child behind.