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10 things kids hate about school (and 10 they love)

School-age kids report on what they adore and abhor about school

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Originally published in Today's Parent February 2007

What is it about school that stirs up such passions in our kids? We asked an informal panel of school-agers across the country what they adore and abhor about school. Not surprisingly, many say recess and gym light up their school day. But others just love learning about everything — from bugs to boats. Here are kids’ report cards.

10 worst things

1. Homework hassles
Not surprisingly, homework tops most kids’ hate lists. “I have a T-shirt that says, ‘Home and work are two words that should never be together,’” says 11-year-old Alex Jones* from Guelph, Ont. “When you’re home, you should be doing home stuff!” agrees 10-year-old Tristan Mills, who also lives in Guelph. Older kids juggling multiple subjects feel especially overwhelmed. “I don’t like when every teacher gives you homework and projects and tests…and you spend all day doing work because you have these deadlines all at once,” complains one grade-nine student.

2. Too-simple subjects
Some students crave more challenging work. “Music could be more advanced,” suggests a grade-five future maestro from Nanaimo, BC. “We learn the notes go from A to G, when most of us already know that.”

3. Frosty recess
Escaping class to play outside is not always blissful. “If it’s really frozen and cold out, you’re not [supposed] to go back in,” says nine-year-old Owen McGreal from Hamilton. One grade-seven student says he hates mingling at recess because “there are really annoying people who find it fun to put other people down.”

4. Wearying words
Ditch school jargon, kids advise. Nine-year-old Olivia Mater of Guelph, Ont., doesn’t like the “fancy words some teachers use, like ‘nutrition break’ and ‘dismissal routine.’”

5. Lunch-break blues
Lunch feels like a dine and dash, especially for sociable grade-seven and -eight students. Alannah Clarke, a 14-year-old from Pugwash, NS, yearns for more than 37 minutes. Other kids loathe their lunchtime venue. “I can’t stand sitting on the gym floor to eat lunch,” says Graham Mater, 13, of Guelph, Ont.

6. Numbing numbers
No secret some kids would like to subtract math from their daily routine — not always for the reason you may think. “I hate math because my hands get sore after all that counting on my fingers,” explains a seven-year-old from the Saskatoon area.

7. Excruciating silence
It’s hard to zip your lip in a room full of friends. “Silent reading gives me a headache because everyone has to whisper during that time — like ‘What do you want to do at recess?’” says six-year-old Noah Viitala from King City, Ont.

8. Toilet trauma
Sharing school facilities with the opposite sex — as some kindergartners do — can be challenging for little ones. Kirsten, a fastidious five-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., hates “when the boys leave the seat up on the toilet, and they sometimes pee on the floor.”

9. Wheely boring busing
As nine-year-old Katelynn Wynen knows, heading to school by bus is a drag. “You don’t have much to do except talk, stare out the window and maybe read,” says the Eden Mills, Ont., student.

10. All work, no play
Bottom line: Kids just want to have fun. “I’d rather stay home and watch Arthur and Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted all day,” says one seven-year-old. Spencer Johne from Mississauga, Ont., who is plugging away in grade one, is wearied by his workload. “(I hate) all the work. Because I just want to play.”

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