Stages of Student Decline

An article in Education Week titled “Studies Link Students’ Boredom to Stress” October 9, 2012 talks about possible reasons for students being bored in school.

“. . . the experience of boredom directly connects to a student’s inability to focus attention.”

“Boredom is one of the most consistent experiences of school and one that can be frustrating and disheartening for teachers.”

If you notice, they all seem to center on something being wrong with the student.

We disagree!  We think every student wants to explore and learn about their world.

One of the reasons a student can exhibit boredom is because they’re in the last and final stage of the Three Stages of Student Decline.

Teachers and parents need to be aware of these Stages of Decline so that they can recover their child/student before they decline too far and are beyond reach.

It’s all too common that a child’s/student’s want to learn and contribute is trampled on.  Their free will, sovereignty and right to choose are suppressed.  The child/student is dominated, overwhelmed and made subservient to their environment.

This trampling of free will produces the Three Stages of Student Decline:

1. Protest and rebellion – the child/student begins by protesting and rebelling against this domination and overwhelm.  If it continues, then,

2. Appeasement and passivity – the child/student will be passive and try to make themselves liked by the teacher/parent.  If the overwhelm and domination continues, then,

3. Dejection and despondency (otherwise known as boredom) sets in – the child/student gives up and abandons participating in any activities, in any type of learning.  Their free will has been suppressed for so long that they simply give up.

This can be reversed by allowing the student/child to exercise their free will, their right to choose and their sovereignty.

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