Very often I heard from my friends and even colleagues: “Who needs this early development… (variations). What will he do at school? " And they answer to themselves: "Miss!"
I get the impression that my own studies at school have already been forgotten. Could it be that in your school years there were excellent students who skipped lessons, painted on desks, spoiled school property because they had nothing to do ... Or do you remember poor students who rushed headlong to their lessons - they were so interested in listening to the teacher? Personally, I have not met such!
Where does the interest in school go?
Summarizing the experience of fifteen years of my work at school, I can say with confidence that everyone is interested in the first grade! Every year, children's interest in learning is melting, melting ... The number of excellent students is decreasing, the number of C graders is steadily growing. Not the other way around! A C grade student in elementary school does not have a chance to become even a good student in the fifth grade, but it is easy to move into the ranks of the unsuccessful.
Why? Just studying at school turns out to be not an exciting performance, but serious work. Only those who have already entered the first grade with solid potential remain of interest. Their parents were once encouraged by early development.
Winners since childhood
By chance I saw in the teacher's room a list of tenth graders who took part in subject Olympiads. I drew attention to the six surnames of my "former" (taught them from the first to the fourth grade). It was these students who successfully participated in subject Olympiads in elementary school, and now they have not lost their interest in learning. I think that they will continue their lives victoriously as well!
Today there are prestigious schools that accept children only after serious tests. This is how the best of the best are selected!
Question to the psychologist:
Hello, I am a 1st year student at the Medical University. In the 10th grade, I already began to think about the choice of a future profession and could not decide in any way: who do I still want to become? I entered medical school at the suggestion of my relatives, it interested me, and I chose the path of a doctor. After 4 months of training, I realized that I did not want and not interested in studying in this direction. I have the ability, if something needs to be learned, I teach, and it is given to me, but there is no enthusiasm and interest in this. I want to be creative (music, acting). I also have the ability to do this, but, unfortunately, my parents consider it a frivolous matter. They think that education should, first of all, be financially stable, and having chosen a creative profession, at one moment you will rise, and at another you will be left with nothing. I am also very afraid of this, but I consciously assume: if I start doing creative work seriously, enjoying what I do, won't it bring me profit? And at this stage of my life there is a stupor. My parents understand me and explained that they will take any of my decisions calmly and support me with any of my choices. I really want to turn my hobby into a future profession, but I'm afraid .. I'm not a particularly mean person, but suddenly, being a musician, I won't be able to feed myself and my family as a man? What to do in such a situation: get a diploma and be a specialist who earns stable income, or finish the first year and then enter a university with a creative bias, and do what you love?
I walked around a lot of different forums where they discuss this topic, but still I wanted to hear an answer specifically regarding my situation. I would be very grateful.
Psychologist Lyudmila Yuryevna Gnatyuk answers the question.
Hello, Alexander!
It's great that you are listening to yourself and not trying to completely walk in the path of reason and financial gain. Parents can be understood, given the unstable situation in the country, society, I want protection and guarantees. But the trick is that no one will give us guarantees in this life and we need to learn to trust our feelings, no matter how they contradict logic. Think for yourself, would you rather go to an appointment with a doctor who lives by his profession or someone who rather mechanically makes a living from it? Of course, you can learn anything you want, but imagine. You unlearned 6 years in a medical university and you need to go to work, practice, receive patients, they will come to you with the hope and faith that you will feel that each of them will be better, and not just write a classic recipe. It's like with your letter. You have read many answers to such questions, but you want something personal, not a banal identical answer for everyone, like a blueprint, but taking into account your personal characteristics of the situation. Likewise in medicine, people will always look for that doctor who feels and shows an individual approach to the patient with their hearts, and then he will be successful, there will always be queues to him, he will be recommended.
The same approach is also important in creativity, when you do what you love, you will be more willing to overcome difficulties, crises and obstacles on your way. They are inevitable in any profession, sooner or later people are faced with the need for change and the search for something new in their profession. You need to be ready for this, but again, when this is a favorite thing, then there is inspiration and strength for it. In contrast to the profession you are engaged in purely for the sake of financial reward.
In life, in addition to money, we need to try to enjoy everything we do, be it work, study, family. But you, as a man, should be responsible for your words, your choices and understand that it is the consistency in your goals that will lead you to success. In a university with a creative bias, there can also be subjects that seem boring to you. In general, the first 2 courses at almost any faculty are mostly general education disciplines. Somewhere from the 3rd year, specialization begins, but when the practice begins, it may turn out that you don’t know much. And what was taught is not always acceptable in the realities of the profession. Therefore, studying is not something temporary, it is a life-long process.
Choosing to be an actor, musician or doctor is a very different profession, they do not overlap in any way and require the development of various personality traits. If you yourself do not feel this, contact the professionals in vocational guidance, with the help of modern test methods they can reliably determine your inclinations and inclinations from nature.
Parents' support is good, but they can help you even more when you yourself are consistent in your choice. Therefore, for the purity of the experiment, discard the financial component immediately (for the reason that a person who is a professional in his field will always be in demand, regardless of the crisis, prestige, etc.), and focus on the content. Imagine your future, feel what attracts you, what gives you joy, where you will be honest with yourself and the world, what would you do if you did not need to think about money at all? This will be the truly your answer, what exactly you need to do.
Hello! Please help me with advice, I just don't know what to do, patience is already running out. The child is studying in the 3rd grade, there is only a week left to go to school (the school administration extended the May holidays for us due to summer holidays)! We just have the most difficult week left - all the final tests, control ones pass. But the morning for me is torment, it is impossible to lift a child and force him to go to school, every morning we pass with hysterics and shouts “I don’t want! Will not go!" etc. Every morning the son feels himself hopefully (what if something is ill?), Sniffs defiantly, complains of a headache, in general, he does everything to stay home. When he needs to get ready for school or do his homework, he can spend hours picking food with a fork, as if it would save him from going to school. All morning you have to rock and rush him, there is no strength anymore! I tried to ask questions, I thought, suddenly, he was offended at school. No, relations with classmates are normal. He says that he is tired of studying, tired and generally not interested in him! I remember myself at school, it was not always interesting either, but I didn't throw tantrums to my parents, I was getting ready and going to study. Even the new Minister of Education in an interview with Kandelaki said that children do not want to go to school: he talked about modern technologies that will be used in schools, new young teachers that can make the learning process more interesting (http://www.youtube.com / watch? v \u003d bgeQmhwltes & list \u003d UU20O7fAUu98ZqjrFfMHyLtw & index \u003d 5 & feature \u003d plpp_video). In general, he said that soon the children will go to school with pleasure. I don’t know how this is possible at all, since school is still a routine, I just don’t imagine what such technologies can be used to make children suddenly start learning with interest when there are so many much more interesting activities around! Although, of course, I hope that I simply do not understand anything in modern education, that in fact, if you want to, you can think of something. In any case, it is not clear when and who will come up with all this and whether there will be any at all, but there is a problem now and it needs to be solved, after all, the child has only a week to finish his studies, write control tests and calmly rest, but you can't force it! If someone knows, please tell me what to do in order not to force your son, but somehow motivate him to finish his studies normally at least this last week! And maybe someone can tell you how you can independently interest a child in learning, otherwise I feel that after the holidays we will return to this issue with him? ...
“How did you leave? Why?!" - I hear this phrase every time I try to answer the question of why I am not at the university now. "You probably had something bad happened, because of what you had to leave, right?" Of course, after all, no one just leaves the university, right? Or not?
Realizing that, apart from such a reaction, my departure will not cause anything else, I try not to answer this question or avoid discussions, because everyone considers it his duty to tell me that I did wrong. Over time, I realized that there is no point in being ashamed of my decision, especially if I think that I did it 100% right.
Therefore, I want to tell you why the university in its current state is not what I, you and your children need.
We want to be like the rest
Think about what happens in schools with children who wear glasses or are trying to study well. At best they will not be accepted into the company of the "cool", at worst - the main goal of this company will be to make their life unbearable. But, of course, what do they like to say there? "They're children, they don't understand." Well, yes, they do not understand.
So, from the very childhood, we want to be the same as others. What do “everyone else” do after school? They try to get into the university. Preferably on a budget. If this succeeds, the maximum goal is achieved. If not, then your parents will have to spend thousands of dollars on your education, or choose an educational institution that is simpler - a technical school or a fashionable college, which, in fact, is the same technical school.
The time begins, which is spoken of as the best time in a person's life, meaning by this, of course, not study. But rather that you will drink (a lot), communicate with the opposite sex and sometimes go to classes, trying to sit out at least half. After rereading this paragraph, I realized that it didn't sound so bad.
And that's enough for most. They forget about how much time goes into emptiness, how much money is spent on studies that do not bring any benefit. For example, I did not study at the most expensive university in Ukraine, and during this time 7,000 dollars were spent on study alone. I think this is my parents' biggest investment in me. Was it justified? Alas.
Studying at university is not the only way
How many courses could I attend with this money? Courses of real professionals who have devoted decades of their work, who adore what they do and are ready to share useful knowledge. How many books could you buy? I'll end up with trivial questions, you already know the answer.
Studying at a university no longer guarantees professional success in the future.
One of the reasons for this is motivation. When we do what we like, we are guided. That is, we like the process itself. Money, encouragement, or praise fades into the background. After all, you must admit, it is much more pleasant to do business and enjoy not only the reward, but also the process itself.
Unfortunately, the university is taking a completely different path. Learning involves boredom, monotony and lack of interest, all for the sake of an ephemeral figure in a paper magazine. And if these ephemeral numbers are good, then in five years you can get an ephemeral red plastic piece of paper. It's worth living for.
This is akin to drinking cola for a long time and forgetting that you can quench your thirst with water. Or when you drive a car for a long time and forget that you can walk to a cafe from work. The same is with the university.
We forget that the learning process itself, and then the work itself, can be enjoyable.
I have a friend who also left the university. Four years of study at the university made it possible to understand that he wanted something different. In his case, it's design. Only six months of intensive self-study, several unsuccessful attempts to get a job, and he still works as a web designer. This is not the company of his dreams yet, but definitely one of the steps on the road to it. This example is very inspiring.
Doesn't mean that you should lock yourself in a room and not contact other people. Seminars, conferences, people with similar interests - you have a huge number of ways to communicate with interesting people, and most importantly - to learn. When you study not for a reward in the future, but simply because you like it, the process itself insanely inserts.
I was finally able to articulate what I dislike most about university:
There is no passion in university studies.
Moreover, if you go there with your passion, it will surely be beaten off from you. Universities in their current state are killing the desire to learn. This even applies to medicine, which advocates of standard education are so fond of citing. In my city, the medical university has long earned a reputation as the most bribery educational institution. Remember this when you come to see a young specialist.
Wouldn't it be more logical to choose interesting items yourself? But no, the financier needs to teach philosophy, medicine - the history of economic thought, and the architect - chemistry. Expanding horizons - is that what it's called? I do not want to broaden my horizons with useless knowledge multiplied by the teacher's subjectivity.
By learning on your own, you can choose your own path.
Want to learn English? You can create a program that includes watching original movies with subtitles, reading English books, learning new words from articles on the Internet, and using Duolingo. This is much better than sitting with Golitsinsky's textbook every day, from which, over time, bouts of nausea begin to appear.
With the advent of services such as, it becomes clear that something needs to be changed in the current education system. Self-education makes it possible to feel that your knowledge is useful and useful in real life. You will not always go forward, sometimes you have to radically change something, but it's still a thousand times better.
Getting a university grade is no longer a safe and far from the most interesting way of life. Don't try to be like others, be special and forget that university is the only way. There are others.
Dmitry P., grade 11: “To make it interesting to study at school, we need to introduce more practical, cognitive lessons. This proposal applies not only to physics, chemistry, which traditionally carry out laboratory work. Why not make math lessons closer to practice, for example? Show relevant interesting films. Come up with examples and tasks for cases that occur in real life. After all, what is interesting is not what is abstract, but what is concrete, what the student understands, what he can use. "
Irina K., grade 7: “To make it interesting at school, you need to unload children at recess. Each break should be 30 minutes long, not just a big one. And during breaks, children should be allowed to go out. For some reason we are not allowed. Let the children run during recess! And in winter, when they go outside, they skate near the school on the ice rink. Well, of course, then a skating rink should be built near each school. "
Maria L., grade 10: “It is interesting and comfortable at school for each individual person when he is personally recognized and respected. After all, everyone has at least some achievements, something that he succeeds. Let some girl in math lessons not be the best student, but she, for example, sews well, and she needs to be praised in technology lessons. Now, it seems to me, the problem with Russian schools is that a child's success is his own business. Only mom or dad will praise for achievements, and even then not always. They work, they have no time. If there are no twos in the diary, then you can not talk about studying with your son or daughter, not delve into his problems. And our teachers no longer praise even excellent students. They also have no time. They are busy filling out various papers, carrying out reporting activities. Now our class teacher must also fill out electronic diaries for us. The teachers do not have time to pay attention to us, they would have a good lesson. And in this lesson, almost no one is asked. If the child does not understand something, it becomes clear only on the control. My mother told me that before, when she was in school, teachers stayed after lessons with the guys who were lagging behind and studied with them for free. And there were also pioneers, and those pioneers who studied with "excellent marks" were also supposed to help students in their class for free. And now the only hope is for the tutor. And whether you study badly or well, teachers and your classmates do not really care. This is your own business. Every man for himself".
Mikhail S., grade 11: “I believe that in order to go to school with pleasure, a person must feel comfortable among classmates. So that people come to school not only to study, but also to communicate with friends. For this, students in the class should be united not only by study, but also by joint activities. Visiting cinemas, hiking trips. Teachers almost never go on such trips with us. And we ourselves are too lazy to unite, probably. If I propose this in class, they won't understand me. "
Elena D., grade 8: “To make it interesting at school, teachers should be closer to the students. We have teachers who are scared to approach and ask them about something if you don't understand the lesson. One such teacher always looks down on us and says in surprise: “Well, don't you really understand that ?! This is so clear !!! " And you feel like a complete idiot. But this is clear to her, she is a professional. And we need to explain, not despise for ignorance. This attitude creates knowledge gaps and makes lessons uninteresting. After all, it's interesting first of all when you understand everything and feel successful. "
The answers of high school students were assessed by an experienced teacher Lyubov Aleksandrovna Pavlova, director of the Ermolinsk school from the village of Ermolino, Novgorod district, Novgorod region:
I largely agree with all the students who have expressed themselves. It is necessary to change the school environment in which the child is located so that he was interested.
The fact that we are now moving to new federal state educational standards, in my opinion, can help in achieving this goal. During the transition to the new federal state educational standards and classrooms, they are equipped differently, and textbooks are constructed in a completely different way. And in them lies a great practical orientation of the child's activity. Teachers' extracurricular activities are now paid and must be enthusiastic about teachers. In our district this academic year, not only primary school students are participating in the transition to new FSES, but also, as an experiment, fifth grades in three schools.
Fifth graders in the afternoon will attend various clubs, hobby groups, excursions, lectures and so on. And this direction is connected precisely with the fact that each child can express himself not only in some academic subject or subjects, but also in any other type of activity where he will be successful. I agree that every child should be praised for their achievements. In our school, for example, not only excellent students are encouraged. We have contests "Student of the Year", "Sports Class of the Year", "Sportsman of the Year". Not everyone is given to be, for example, a mathematician, and it is not necessary for everyone to be guided to a university after leaving school. The benchmark should be on something else - to give every child the opportunity to find himself, to develop in what he has an interest in. And to successfully achieve this goal, three components must coincide. The child's motivation for learning will be supported if we organize a creative union of three forces - teachers, parents and the student himself.
Photo from the resource - http://tr.fotolia.com/id/24695897
P. S... from the author
One can agree with many of the opinions of those who have spoken on this topic. Let's add one more thing - in order to make it interesting to study at school, you need not only to expect changes from others, but also to change yourself. Maybe reconsider your home routine? Ask yourself: haven't I been “surfing the Internet” for a lot of time, leaving difficult homework assignments late at night, or even downloading answers to them from the Internet? Do I think about my future and do I plan to go to university or college after school? What subjects do I need to study more thoroughly for this? How do I behave in the lesson - listening to the teacher's story or “going through the levels” in a computer game on my phone? After all, the main person on whom my successful studies and my whole life depend is myself.