One of the most disappointing things teachers faces is dealing with students who are unwilling to learn. It can act as negative energy to the teacher.
However, the question is, is there anything you can do about it to make them understand the value of education? Keep reading as we draw our lesson from Jonathan Malesic’s story.
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Summary of ”My College Students are not Ok” by Jonathan Malesic
Jonathan Malesic complains that nearly a third of his students are unwilling to pay attention while the lessons are on. For instance, they will remain glued to their laptops while ignoring his questions.
To add salt to an injury, the student goes to sleep without thinking that the lesson is still active. Jonathan had been teaching at two private and public universities, yet the students from these two respective institutions lacked the zeal for knowledge.
Notably, these students were poor in class discussion, laxity in attendance, and late submission of assignments. For instance, a smaller group only showed up when Jonathan wanted them to submit their research papers for discussion.
Interestingly, when Jonathan posted his experience on the Facebook platform, other colleagues who teach in different institutions also acknowledged experiencing a similar experience. The most common denominator among the complaints is poor attendance, failed exams, missing homework, and lack of discussions.
One of the motivating factors that caused students to be reluctant in school is the emergence of the pandemic. They never took recorded classes seriously hence failing in exams more often. For that reason, Jonathan urges universities to encourage students to value education and develop better learning skills.
During the pandemic, students got more autonomy and the flexibility to learn. That included remote learning through the online platform. However, this method caused many students to relax, and universities recorded their worst performances.
Ever since, many college students have had a habit of skipping classes, deteriorating their knowledge level.
Lessons from Jonathan Malesic’s essay
Jonathan Malesic’s article on the importance of reading in his class, “Reading as an act of imagination.” We agree that reading can be a powerful way to build self-confidence and self-esteem.
All students should read more often and purposefully than they currently do. They make it a habit to make reading one of their top priorities in school or at home.
Students should also take advantage of summer camps, after-school programs, and other reading opportunities for pleasure outside of school hours. They should not only read for pleasure but also look for books that have themes that interest them, such as historical fiction or fantasy novels.
Teachers should encourage student participation in book clubs or activities where students talk about their favorite books and share thoughts about the book’s characters and plots.
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Why Jonathan Malesic wrote the New York Times piece
To Indicate why Students’ Morale in Class is low
The students are not motivated to study; this can be due to several reasons, such as a lack of interest and motivation.
Also, the teachers cannot make the students feel that they are important and need to learn to pass their exams. In addition, some students do not like how their teachers teach them and feel it is boring.
Students are Failing Exams
Malesic said that students are not focusing on their studies and have low motivation because they think they will fail their exams anyway.
He also said that many distractions around them, such as social media, TV, online gaming, etc., distract them from concentrating on studying properly.
Malesic also said that some students do not know how to solve problems properly, or even worse still, they use cheating methods like copying answers off other people’s papers or using calculators to solve problems when this is not allowed in the exam hall.
Universities to Inject Study Habits into Students
The idea behind injecting consistent study habits into students is to make it easier for them to learn. Malesic says this approach is necessary because many students are struggling to find time to study and are too busy with other activities.
Malesic believes this approach would be effective because it can help students focus more on their studies and prepare them for exams and tests.
The authors argue that it is possible to design a system that will provide students with information about how long they need to study for each course and give them advice on how to improve their performance on exams or assignments.
They also suggest creating a system where students can track their progress in modules, courses, or subjects during their studies.
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Issues Raised by Jonathan Malesic in My College Students are not an Ok article
1. Poor lesson Attendance
Malesic also talks about the importance of lesson attendance, which is vital for the success of any course at any level.
He argues that you waste your time and other people’s money if you do not show up for class. It is important to set an example for others so they know they should attend class regularly.
2. Late Submission of Assignments
There was a great concern for the author that students are not meeting deadlines when it comes to the submission of their homeworks.
The students see no urgency in delivering their work on time, violating faculty rules. This leads to massive failures and inconsistencies which compromise the integrity and the value of education in particular institutions.
3. Poor Class Discussion
When students lack interest in whatever topic you are teaching, they, too, do not take discussions seriously. The professor noted that they would be doing their things on their laptops while neglecting what was more vital at that time.
For that reason, one cannot benefit from any call discussions since one does not have what it takes to contribute to such forums. Notably, some students will have their attention on something else hence failing to place value on some vital aspects.
4. Poor Quality
Institutions must implement measures to uphold the quality of education given to their students. They should produce competent people equal to the task while in the job market.
