Kids Learn, Like It or Not

I have more pet peeves than I would care to admit to having, but this is a significant one. "That Make Learning Fun" suggests that, naturally, learning isn't fun at all. A nationwide child care center had a tag line for a while that read, "Where Everyday Learning Feels Like Fun". Every time I read it I would cringe.

Anyone who has worked with young children knows that learning is amazingly, astoundingly fun for them. Adults love to learn, on their terms. They take art classes, join clubs, meet with friends who share a passion. Human beings need to learn. It's a driving force for us.

I get frustrated at this time every year as back to school commercials show up depicting the return to the school year as a dreaded event (but if you buy their product it will be more bearable!). Often in TV shows and movies, both for adults and children, school is presented as boring and hated. That is probably true for some kids. However, many children, especially elementary aged children, love going to school. Why are we socializing them into believing it is an awful place? Why are we teaching them that learning is dull, hard, not fun at all?

I'm not suggesting that we can't do a lot to make schools better places for kids. I am suggesting we don't need to teach kids our perceptions of school. Let them build their own, many will be positive.