Students' Boredom – Who's Responsible Anyway?

When a child says, "I'm bored," what are they really saying? I think they are saying they don't know what to do with themselves. Too many children I talk to aren't given the opportunity, or responsibility, for what they do with their time. Many children are either left to their own devices (watch television, play video games, etc.) or are completely programmed (ancillary schools such as language schools, music lessons, etc.) for their entire day. Not that there is anything wrong with any of these activities in and of themselves, but children (in my opinion) need to start learning how to make responsible choices on their own. Boundaries need to be in place, for safety, health, and personal accountability, to be more responsible adults. Or at least more responsible youth.

I have a trick I use with my children when they come to me and say, "I'm bored." I provide a list of chores just waiting to be done. If they don't want to do the chores, they can find something for themselves. There are books to be read, pictures to be drawn, any number of things can be built from Legos, there are tennis rackets, mitts and balls, bicycles, and more they can do outside. The same was told to me when I was growing up, and I am so grateful to my mother for teaching me that lesson. If I ever feel boredom coming on I can easy find one of any number of things to do. When I find myself somewhere I don't really want to be people watching is always a great pass-time – the boundless variety of people and their choices is fascinating.

While teachers can, at times, be less than engaging it is not their job to make sure every child is not 'bored'. Boredom in the classroom often stems from a lack of understanding of the topic, not understanding the instructions, not wanting to be in the classroom, and many other reasons. Hopefully you get the picture. I posit a vast majority of teachers work hard to make sure there is more than enough is available to keep students busy. Lessons are created to teach required subject matter, though not always the topic's relevance to everyday life.

I think it's time we give responsibility back to the child for not being bored. It should not be the school's (read teacher's) responsibility to keep children 'safe' from boredom. Though the quality and quantity of lessons and materials does belong to the districts, schools, and ultimately the teacher's responsibility.