School, the place where your mind is always growing, right? Not always. While students might be well aware, adults around us need to understand the negative impacts that the current learning environment can have on our brains, as well as on everyday life. In this article, you will learn just how bad the effects can be on today’s students.
School is designed not only to help kids learn, but also to help them grow in social/emotional areas. With friends there to join them in classes, school can sometimes feel less like a chore and instead more fun. With anti-bullying rules in place, schools can feel like a safe place for many, where they can also develop great social skills by playing and interacting with other students.
Before diving into the negatives, it’s only fair to acknowledge that school does have a few upsides, like helping kids build cooperation and social skills. School projects are usually never fun, especially when you have to work in groups created by the teacher. Some people don’t do enough work, some people wait till the last minute, and sometimes you have to awkwardly present in front of the whole class. However, group projects do have their benefits. No matter what career you choose to pursue, chances are, you’re gonna have to know how to interact with people in a professional setting, and how to work as a team. For example, if your future boss assigns you and your colleagues to do a presentation, which you have to present in 3 days, you can’t just spend those 3 days slacking off and expecting your colleagues to do all the work for you, or you’ll get fired. On the other hand, you can’t just do all the work yourself and not let anyone else help. It’s all about finding a healthy balance. Thankfully, we’re just in middle school right now, but it’s still important to develop these values and skills while you’re young and the stakes aren’t too high, so you can set yourself up for success in your future.
Though homework is an effective way to have kids learn outside of school, it comes with some drawbacks, too. Students may feel that they don’t have enough time to complete homework, leaving a sense of stress about what the teacher will think. The same thing is true with quizzes and tests. These get students worried about grades and the teacher’s opinion of them. Stress from these issues can lower a student’s productivity and engagement in the classes they attend. It can also affect how they sleep, and sleep is important for their overall health.
According to USA Today, the banning/censoring of books in the public school system almost tripled in 2023-2024, leaving 10,000 books banned in public school libraries across the country. Columbia University also says that the majority of books taken from the shelves are written about people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or feature social/political issues that are important to discuss and learn about today. Book banning can be extremely harmful for students, as it can make them feel ostracized or unrepresented in their community. It can also lead to ignorance, intolerance, and even bullying, because students don’t have access to proper education and information about certain important topics. This can lead to them making harmful assumptions and stereotypes that can hurt certain groups of people/communities. According to the celebrated author, Laurie Halse Anderson, “Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.”
Ultimately, the effects of school on the well-being of students can be detrimental. While school is beneficial in some ways, its negative counterparts far outweigh the pros. Thus, it’s an important topic for educators to consider. What changes need to be made?
