(2009-09-30) Gray Why Don't Students Like School... Is Prison

Peter Gray: “Why Don’t Students Like School?” Well, Duhhhh…

Someone recently referred me to a book that they thought I'd like. It's a 2009 book, aimed toward teachers of grades K through 12, titled Why Don't Students Like School? It's by a cognitive scientist named Daniel T. Willingham, and it has received rave reviews by countless people involved in the school system. Google the title and author and you'll find pages and pages of doting reviews and nobody pointing out that the book totally and utterly fails to answer the question posed by its title.

Ask any schoolchild why they don't like school and they'll tell you. "School is prison." They may not use those words, because they're too polite, or maybe they've already been brainwashed to believe that school is for their own good and therefore it can't be prison. But decipher their words and the translation generally is, "School is prison." Let me say that a few more times: School is prison. School is prison. School is prison. School is prison. School is prison.

not once does he suggest that just possibly they don't like school because they like freedom, and in school they are not free.

If you think school is not prison, please explain the difference. The only difference I can think of is that to get into prison you have to commit a crime, but they put you in school just because of your age

Actually, in school you must spend more time doing exactly what you are told to do than is true in adult prisons, so in that sense school is worse than prison.