The Real Reason Kids Don’t Like School
“How to Build a Life” is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness.
As a child and young adult, I hated the drudgery of school. I don’t remember ever looking forward to a day of class, from kindergarten until I dropped out of college after my first year. Leaving felt like a pardon from the governor.
Of course, I’m not so special; plenty of kids are unhappy at school. School is undoubtedly good for most kids, but unless your child is weirdly into social science, there’s no use telling her that “education stimulates subjective well-being outcomes in the long run.” What ruins the experience for so many—as it did for me—is that, right now, school is lonely and boring.
A tour through the research on learning and happiness and interest. Fortunately, with a little knowledge about both, we can make life better for all the students out there who have just gloomily returned to school or are dreading the prospect in the coming days.
