Student Apathy is said to be one of the biggest challenges inside the classroom, but what’s behind the revulsion? Thousand Oaks High School math teacher, Michael Cowley has over a decade of experience in teaching, and he explains what student apathy means to him.
“Apathy means an unwillingness to try, students see one thing hard and they stop trying, they have to keep trying,” Cowley said.
Cowley also expresses his dismay with how apathetic and non-apathetic students receive the same reward.
“You had students who were in elementary school and failed, but they still went on to middle school,” Cowley said. “Then you had students in elementary with straight A’s, and who busted their butt to go to middle school. So where’s your incentive as a student to put in an effort?”
The ability to move further no matter your grades is often the cause of student apathy. However, student apathy can be caused by many other factors. It is a complex issue influenced by societal changes, technology, mental health and the education system itself.
Many teachers believe the source of student apathy is from the internet, specifically social media. Popular platforms such as TikTok and Youtube provide their audiences with constant access to entertainment, instant satisfaction and endless scrolling.
Beyond the internet and social media are other stress-increasing problems students might face. Many part-time jobs, family responsibilities and mental health struggles can make school just feel like another burden instead of a place to learn. If a student is struggling mentally, their ability to engage at school naturally decreases.
Harold Hutton, a history teacher at TOHS, gives us his definition of student apathy.
“Sometimes students don’t care about the end result, but I think every student has it in them, and it is for us teachers to put it out towards them,” Hutton said.
Although student apathy is common, many teachers agree student apathy is not universal. Some classes are naturally more interesting to students than other classes. Classes that involve experiments, projects, activities, or debates may leave a student wanting to participate.
Often students do not get enough sleep due to late-night studying, extracurricular activities, and screen time. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts mental health, making it harder to concentrate in school. Being able to have enjoyable learning can help students become less apathetic.
“Apathy is to be disinterested, students might not see that what they are learning is going to apply later in life,” English teacher Kayla Spitsen said. “I think it’s very important that teachers communicate to their students so students can understand why learning is important and going to apply later in life.”
In her experience, Spitsen expresses how she has seen motivation at TOHS.
“As long as I’ve been working at TOHS, I feel the students here are pretty motivated compared to other high schools I’ve worked at,” Spitsen said.
Many students have felt that education has been a race rather than a journey, leading to burnout and disengagement. Student apathy isn’t just increasing, it’s becoming a persistent issue that schools struggle to reverse.
