Burned out at age six! Are we destroying the love of learning?

“Pencil, now repeat,” I said to a group of students as I held up the flashcard with the best pencil I was able to draw. Blank stares. In fact some kids were not even looking at me, just walking around talking to their friends.

I attempted to encourage participation and order in the classroom by saying the few Spanish words I knew: “sientate por favor” (sit please) and “escuchar por favor” (listen please) to very little prevail. I was in an elementary school in the Dominican Republic and I was failing as a teacher — because I was no fun.

Last spring break I went to the Dominican Republic to serve and teach English at local schools with an organization called Outreach 360. I had experience tutoring in the U.S., but teaching in a classroom setting was going to be brand new. I was a little nervous.

Clearly the first day did not go very well. We thought simple flashcard memorization and writing activities would be a good method of teaching for the week. Now we realized we needed to change our plan.

One of the volunteers for the organization advised us to sing more songs and play more games with the kids. “This is the only way to get them excited and really involved,” he informed.

So we prepared some songs and some games and what do you know the engagement from the kids was night and day. They got really into it whenever we would split the room into two teams and challenge them to a game.

We played simple games such as pulling a kid from each team to the board, saying the word pencil, and awarding the point to the kid who touched the correct word first. It was such a simple game, but the kids were so excited about it and competitive… sometimes too competitive.

We would start each class with a few songs about topics such as the weather and feelings. The songs also proved to be very effective in getting the kids excited and remembering basic concepts. Also very catchy, they were stuck in my head for the following weeks.

It was after this first experience of teaching in the classroom that I learned, among other things, that effective methods of teaching will always involve getting the kids passionate about learning. If you can get kids excited about learning the material, then the rest is simply providing the material.

I know this is not real mind-blowing stuff: of course the kids will do better if they love to learn! But I am not so convinced that current educational systems support this notion of creating a love of lifelong learning in our classrooms.

I have heard the frustration from elementary school teachers of the implemented standards that only increase the amount of testing in the classrooms. With increased emphasis on testing reading levels and math competency, it is becoming more and more difficult to incorporate the fun.

These standards result in disinterest from students, difficulty making curriculum fun for the teachers, and discouragement from parents.

I understand the standards are simply to establish that a student is at the correct level of proficiency. Certainly I believe this is important to ensure that children are progressing in academic ability according to their year. However, especially in the elementary schools, I do not think efforts to reach these standards should push aside the importance of simply loving to learn and having fun.

Let a kid be a kid.

Ideally, fun and performance levels would go hand in hand, and I think there is plenty of evidence to support that they in fact do. If kids are more interested, they will naturally perform better.

Unfortunately teachers are underpaid and often times underappreciated. Despite these obstacles many still find the ability to nurture the love of learning in our youth.

For instance, look at Mr. Bonner, a 2nd grade teacher in my home state of North Carolina. His out-of-the-box teaching methods were noticed by even Ellen.

The songs worked! Mr. Bonner said the kids improved their test scores and literacy. Teachers are the heroes here: they have to go above and beyond simply to make the implemented curriculum interesting.

Certainly I am not trying to compare the educational systems of the Dominican Republic and the USA, I know that educational systems are different around the world. However through my observations at Outreach 360 and in the US I have noticed getting the kids excited to learn is always beneficial. I believe this is a global concept.

In regards to the US I believe our school systems must support teachers like Mr. Bonner, but better yet allow the creative teaching methods in the curriculum. The teachers understand what makes each individual student enthusiastic about learning. Therefore, they should be in charge of the teaching methods to engage each student, not hindered by the methods dictated by standards and curriculum.

Let a teacher be a teacher.

One way I think the school systems should support the creative flexibility in the classroom is through integrating technologies that provide fun learning alternatives. As the ed tech space continues to grow into online and virtual learning, kids will have opportunities to explore concepts in ways no one ever has before. Check out some of the neat things VR can bring to the classroom:

I want our youth to love learning and to have fun each day they go to school. I do not think kids should be seen as only test scores and another data point. At the end of the day are they excited to learn? Or are they just staring blankly at the dull flashcards you are trying to get them to memorize?

It is the education system’s duty to offer alternative ways in which kids will find learning fun and worthy of pursuit, as this is the only way to ensure engagement and to produce lifelong learners. One possible way to do this is to allow creative planning from the teachers and integrate fun learning vehicles in class such as technology, singing, and games. Sing some songs and explore the world through a VR lens.

Learning should be fun!

I would love to hear any thoughts on better ways to incorporate fun in the classroom!