Making Boring Classes Fun

In+Mr.+Youngs+world+history+class%2C+he+always+does+his+best+to+keep+his+students+intrigued+%28photo+by+K.+Bessman%29.+

In Mr. Young’s world history class, he always does his best to keep his students intrigued (photo by K. Bessman).

As a student, you’re sitting in class and staring off into space desperately wanting the clock to hit 10:20. Until 10:20 hits, you are stuck in a class that you consider the most boring part of your day. Many students feel the same way about many of their classes. Students’ most boring classes are commonly their hardest classes.

“My boring classes are probably my hardest classes just because they come with a lot of homework and a lot of studying. They’re my most important ones but I would say my AP classes can get kind of hard to want to continue to stay focused [in],” Julia Becker, 11, said.

While students feel this way about certain classes, they find ways to make their classes more enjoyable. Some try to be outgoing in their classes while others try to gain relationships with those who are around them.

“I really try to get involved, and I try to ask a lot of questions because if I start to get interested in what we’re talking about [in class] and I’m actually talking, I’ll less likely be bored and interact more,” Becker said.

Becker tries to interact with teachers and classmates to be able to connect with the people in her classes. Connecting with others helps her to be able to get help from those people and to know she can talk to them at any point of downtime during class. The overall tactic many students use is simply making even the most boring classes interesting in some way, shape, or form.

“In AP Lang, I will go to the front of the class and give advice like ‘always use ‘whilst’ in your essays’ even though it is a well known fact that Mrs. [Michelle] Weltz [English teacher,] hates the word ‘whilst’,” Jake Page, 11, said.

When students are in classrooms that they don’t have friends in, this immediately brings them under the feeling of not enjoying their surroundings. This, and a lack of interest in a class, causes a student to feel bored. A student who is striving for a chemistry degree who loves nothing else but having fun with chemical experiments could have absolutely no interest in being in their English class. It is not only important for students to explore a variety of different subjects, but to also make new friends with those who are around them.

“I would recommend finding your kind of people and rolling with it. If you are in a class without friends, make friends,” Iommi Paulsen, 12, said.

One of the largest components of curing one’s boredom involves comfort. Having the ability to relax and be in a comfortable learning environment is another factor to have fun while learning.

“I think that making classes less boring makes it easier to relax, and if you aren’t [stressed] about the class, you can focus better. It helps me, my teachers, and my fellow students [to] get along better and [can create] a great conversation starter after class,” Page said.

Since many students are also afraid to be outspoken in their classes, this also makes their learning environment unenjoyable. Once students get involved with their peers, that is when students will enjoy it more.

“[Don’t] be afraid to stand out and be more outspoken than the rest. But if you do, make sure you know the limits of your teacher’s and classmate’s patience and to be able to read the room,” Page explained.

An enjoyable learning environment allows a student to be willing to learn and to look forward to entering a class they wouldn’t normally look forward to. Boring classes tend to push students toward working on homework from other classes or getting distracted while using a device. In History, consider all the aspects of what conditions were like during the events that are being taught. In English class, explore the world of writing whatever your mind wants you to. In Chemistry class, explore the fun of experimenting the unknown. These considerations are just a few out of many things to start considering, and anyone has the power to create their own interest in even the most boring classes.