April 13, 2025: The Complexity of Boredom

I was recently reading an article about a study and survey of teachers across the country who were asked about some of the biggest deficits they saw in students today, and coming in at the top of the list was that students did not know how to be bored.  Children today seem to feel, the study found, that every moment of their day should be exciting and titillating.  Young people do not, it seems, know how to deal with tedium.

A certain amount of monotony, the research found, is inherent in the process of learning- think memorizing multiplication facts or the periodic table.  The study also pointed out that things that require lengthy, sustained focus, like reading large pieces of text, were challenging for most of the students. And that when students do not know how to deal with those kinds of laborious, dull activities, they claim boredom, and engage in avoidance or disrupting behaviors.

As a teacher of Gifted students, the concept of boredom is very complex for me.  One of the signs that teachers and parents look for in determining if a student should receive testing to see if they are Intellectually Gifted, is boredom in the classroom.

  `However, boredom because you have mastered the skill already, or successfully completed the task when your peers are still working on it, is different than boredom claimed because you do not feel the learning activity is exciting or engaging enough.

So, the driving question becomes how do we help our students learn to put effort into the tedious learning tasks that must be done.

Think about what we as adults do, when we deal with the mountain of tedious tasks that are part of being an adult in the world. Look at how we deal with the unexciting, and often irrelevant tasks that are a required part of our jobs. Chores, to-dos, and other aactivties.

-       Set a specific amount of time to devote to “boring” tasks. Start small, maybe 5 minutes, and work up.  I like to also follow up this time with a welcome classroom activity. A reward of sorts.

-       “Chunk” tedious or boring tasks into smaller pieces.  This is especially effective when dealing with lengthy projects or extensive reading.

-       Pair the unexciting work with something unique.  Playing relaxing background music, or allowing students to sit on the floor can counter some of the tediousness of the task.

The reality is that not all of the time students spend in our classrooms can be exciting and engaging, so giving students opportunities to build up their skill and tolerance with these types of activities is critical.