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the boring monster
Our culture has created a monster. A boring monster. One that now has our children caught in the grip of its big sharp ugly smelly teeth and isn't about to let go.
I've noticed an alarming trend among my teenage daughters to refer to most of their high school classes, teachers, and almost all events (except the ones they initiate) as "boring." Math is boring. Science is boring. Humanities is boring. Comparative Civ. English Lit. Languages. All boring. Even the arts are often described as boring. About the only things that tend to escape this increasingly frequent label are certain foods, more physical courses like PhysEd or Foods, and field trips. They're good students, getting regular A's and B's in many classes. But I'm deeply disturbed by the overall attitude projected by the use of this word.
I've tried to maintain a sense of family unity by taking the entire family out to events like dinner, movies, shopping (they are girls after all). Even these have become tarred with the dark brush of the boring monster. "Why are we going to do that? It's boring!" they cry. "That movie is boring!" now rings out even for highly entertaining motion pictures. Dinner? Boring. Planetarium? Boring. Theater? Boring, boring, boring. Don't even mention bowling. There appears to be an inherent expectation in all aspects of life that everything one does should be more exciting than the last thing. There is a need to experience exhileration and newness and thrill all the time, whether learning things or not.
I'm sure some of this is a natural part of the turmoil of adolesence. Not a problem; I'll weather the storm. But I'm concerned because I went through adolesence and it wasn't nearly that bad for me. In my view, something in the environment has changed to bring about this expectation that everything -- especially school -- has to be a roller coaster thrill ride all the time or it's not worth the time and effort.
It occurred to me that we could be looking at the result of our own short-sighted enthusiasm as young parents.
When my kids were young, my wife and I were absolutely passionate about making sure they were entertained while learning. This attitude was shared by many of our peers. From the spinning mobile hanging over the crib to the flashing lights and musical sounds of the educational preschool toys to video games to video-enhanced digital encyclopedias to the Internet, we were always striving to push the boundaries of education so it crossed over into entertainment. Call it EduTainment. "Learning should be fun!" was the mantra. Forget sitting quietly reading books. Forget inspiring them to think of learning as simply something that will empower the future. Forget the stories of the past that set the stage for what we now enjoy. I read the classics, but I didn't read *them* the classics. I would show them the movie instead. What mattered was making them enjoy the moment. We delighted in seeing their delight when flashing lights and singing tunes rang out at the correct response to a question.
No wonder that everything seems boring unless it comes with an immediate emotional reward.
I believe we created this boring monster because we didn't give them enough of a chance to just learn for the pure thrill of being more informed. Now the monster has taken control, and doesn't appear willing to let go. Things are not getting better in this regard: today's youngsters are fed even more variety and high-energy tools. I sure hope that common sense will prevail and that our children will eventually get past this expectation as they become adults. But what if they don't? What do we do now? How do we stop this monster?
