Why Teaching in This Hyper-Reality Is So Exhausting… And How To Reclaim Your Energy, Dignity & Balance!

This quote, sourced from an article in the June 2023 edition of The Atlantic, deeply resonated with me on multiple levels. While originally referring to the impact of social media and our incessant need for constant entertainment, it struck me how applicable this notion is to the field of education in our current hyper-reality.

Reference: “Reality is Blurred. Boredom is intolerable. And everything is entertainment” by Megan Garber, June, 2023. The Atlantic.

One incident that stands out early in my career is when an administrator criticized a veteran teacher I greatly admired for a perceived lack of student engagement during an observation. This particular teacher, who was regarded as one of the top educators in our school, had crafted a comprehensive curriculum that rivaled the quality of anything I had experienced during my own middle school years. Her students, though perhaps not visibly enthralled, consistently read a mix of classic and contemporary literature. They displayed remarkable skills in text analysis, and in my humble opinion, demonstrated a high level of interpretive ability.

Student Engagement= Fun Lesson All The Time

The teacher in question worked tirelessly for months to mine students’ potential in order to produce outstanding results. At the time, I had an atypical light course load, so I doubled as a writing coach for her students. This is where I’d come to admire her instructional moves and pedagogy in action. However, the new administrator, who was riding the wave of everything new, effectively denigrated this curricular approach. Upon observing the veteran teacher’s classes, she made an uninformed observation that the students were suffocated by the lesson, and one day, her distaste for “death by boredom” materialized…

Save The Kids From Boredom!

She bursted into the classroom during the reading hour with a fully stocked cart of iPads. She instructed students to grab an iPad, and to research whatever topic interested them (no plan whatsoever). The veteran teacher was horrified by the intrusion, the apparent power imbalance, and ultimately, the admin making her out to be la mala de la película. Word spread quickly regarding her bulldozing approach. Unfortunately, this principal had several stops left on her tour; and my class was scheduled as her next gig.

Admittedly, the kids were excited with the iPads the same way they’d be fired up if they got pizza, french fries, fried dough and ice cream for lunch instead of lean salmon and salad. They were given the opportunity to get the pause button on skill-building and lay aside curiosity to play on a high-tech toy. On brand, she then used their excitement to instruct the legendary teacher, my mentor (who consequently had more years in the classroom!) on how to engage students. Looking back, I can clearly see this class act was essentially privileging entertainment over education; she painted an inaccurate picture of what active learning should look like.

Let’s Take a Look Inside

Now, if we were to take an MRI in real time of brain activity during the reading versus the iPad playing, I’d hedge my bets on the reading yielding more solid and durable neural connections, and increasing students’ cognitive load.

Frontal lobe – Human brain in x-ray view

Grappling with new words, making inferences, engaging in critical thinking, and not to mention the sheer art of constructing a visual world from words would produce better results than the researching on a iPad (and I’m all for tech).

To my dismay, the principal’s mission gained even more steam. Throughout that same year, she made vast and sweeping changes to the school wide curriculum. This superhero wanted to save the kids from villainous boredom. Guess what happened as a result of all these wonderful changes?

Not only did fissures and cracks start to appear in students’ academic performance, but their behavior became atrocious. They wanted to be entertained all the time! Some even complained to the principal! Once that constant entertainment drip started to hit those neuronal pathways, the dopamine train was difficult to halt. They wanted more. The epidemic worsened: those students who would normally score significantly well on writing assessments and reading comprehension, were now lagging behind. We had fewer students gain acceptance into selective enrollment high schools. And you don’t need a crystal ball to figure out what happened next. That veteran teacher I mentioned earlier cashed in her chips while her health was still intact. She’s enjoying retirement (and they had a hard time replacing her).

The Multi-faceted Nature of Learning

And, my friends, this is what we are up against today; the notion that learning has to be loud, boisterous, and constantly entertaining all the time. Yes! Learning can possess those qualities; but it can also be quiet, still, and focused. If we really wanted to differentiate, then maybe even limiting technology would be a starting point. Students are connected to the Matrix outside of school (and during school if they have their phones); their brains and eyes desperately need a break. They need to think about problems instead of be consumers of information. They need to use the App in their brains to make sense of the world.

Here’s the remarkable part: what we experience in the classroom is a microcosm of real life. Life isn’t always about constant entertainment and excitement. It encompasses moments that challenge us, require concentration, and demand perseverance. By embracing this reality, we equip our students with essential life skills and prepare them for the journey ahead. In the upcoming year, I aim to create a classroom environment where learning is the primary focus, where students develop a deep understanding of the subject matter, and where they gain essential tools.

I’m an Educator, not an Entertainer

As an educator, my primary role is not that of a paid entertainer. I want to emphasize that my responsibility in the classroom is to facilitate learning and create an engaging educational environment. It can be exhausting and overwhelming to carry the burden of unrealistic expectations and beliefs about the entertainment factor in teaching.

However, as I delve into professional development and connect with fellow educators, I find solace in knowing that I am not alone in this struggle. The more I read and engage with other teachers, I feel a stronger bond.