Teacher Of 10 Years Asks How To Fix Her Students’ Lack Of Curiosity — ‘Complete Silence When I Teach’

From the increased presence of technology in classrooms to ever-evolving curriculums and expectations, things have changed drastically for teachers over the past decade. 

Yet for one educator on Reddit, who's going into her eleventh year in the profession, nothing is more alarming than her current student's lack of curiosity.

The teacher said that modern-day students have an alarming 'lack of intellectual curiosity.'

"Kids just don't ask questions about anything related to learning nor do they question anything," she wrote in her Reddit post. "In my first year, I felt kids wanted to know the whys behind things or would even remark or comment on the things I taught them."

"Now? Complete silence when I teach," she continued. "I'm convinced I could tell them there are 12 branches of government and 45 Supreme Court justices and I wouldn't hear a peep. I could tell them that the capital of the U.S. is Alaska and I'd get crickets."

Antonio Guillem | Shutterstock

It’s not just this teacher's students showing a lack of intellectual curiosity. According to a Pew Research survey, 58% of high school teachers and half of middle school teachers say students show little or no interest in learning.

Commenters in the r/Teachers subreddit agreed, with many adding that they, too, noticed a concerning level of apathy from their students.  

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Experts suggest this ‘apathy’ among students is due to increased technology use and fewer rewards for intellectual curiosity.

With a host of technological distractions, a tensely changing world, and mental health crises affecting their generation most, school is the last thing on many of these students’ minds.

Technology is at least partially at fault. The same Pew Research survey found that 72% of high school teachers say students being distracted by their cell phones is a major issue. 

Schools that implemented phone bans saw improved grades, decreased bullying, and increased engagement. One Florida teacher whose school implemented such a ban, said, "The learning change in the classroom is remarkable. Students are engaged because they’re not getting notifications in their pocket."

Others pointed to lessened rewards for intellectual curiosity as the main issue at hand. 

Even those who attend college are not rewarded for their effort in the job market, and those who do secure a position still can't afford to live the life they imagined. It's no wonder many students struggle to find any sort of motivation. 

Even in the classroom, where standardized testing rules above all, curiosity isn't always favored. 

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Parents and teachers must work to encourage intellectual curiosity at home and in school. 

At the end of the day, technology isn't going anywhere — while some schools are banning phones, others are incorporating technology further into the classroom. As for the other issues at hand, the world and America's educational system won't be changed overnight, so parents and teachers alike must do what they can to rekindle intellectual curiosity in children.

While many, if not all, kids are born with an innate curiosity, it can easily drift when not supported by parents or early teachers. Instead, debates turn into doom scrolling, and curious questions at the dinner table are replaced by iPads.

Experts recommend adults "model a curious nature," ask questions, actively listen, and encourage the same. They also suggest encouraging students to explore topics that interest them and reminding them that mistakes and uncertainty are part of the learning process. 

Parents should instill curious habits like dinner-table conversations and prioritize school in a big-picture way that refocuses on learning rather than grades.

Curiosity is undeniably important. It's what leads to breakthroughs and societal advancements. It's why people explore new things and learn about new topics. It's how we solve problems. Without curiosity, society remains stagnant, and no one benefits from that.

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Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories