Corliss Smithen |

ST. THOMAS – He sauntered aimlessly into the classroom, ten minutes after the bell had rung, with his back stooped as if belabored by the small backpack. He shuffled to his desk, noisily pulled out a chair and slumped down with a sigh. His bag dropped with a thud on the floor.

Taking a cursory glance in front of him, he noticed the notes scrawled across the blackboard.  Looking around the room, he quickly observed that his classmates were engaged in their classwork. Without even bothering to take his copy book from his bag, Jahlil, whose name like the others below have been changed, propped his head in the crook of his arm on the desk and closed his eyes for the entire session.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the class period, Jahlil lifted his head from the desk, yawned, stretched, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, picked up his bag from the floor, and left the room, as if in a daze.

“He’s like this most days,” his history teacher said.  “He hardly does any work, but I continue to encourage him.”

Jahlil, 19, is just one of many students who appear to have little or no interest in academics.  His school records show that he is failing all of his courses.  Four other students who were interviewed are not faring any better.  Brent, 17, is in ninth grade – for the third time. He thinks that school is a waste of time for him.  He has no plans to graduate.

“School is boring,” Brent said. “I am going to drop out of school soon, get a job and get my own apartment.  I’ve already discussed it with my mother and she agrees.”

Brent is not considering the option of getting his GED and he certainly is not looking into obtaining a college degree. Continue reading STUDENTS’ APATHY – A GROWING CONCERN FOR EDUCATORS →