<center> https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/01/10/01/32/teach-1968076_1280.jpg</center>

# Students in public school today are reportedly desperate for <b>a change to their environment that newly inspires them and fosters increased engagement</b>. 
<center> </center> Many students today also report feeling [high levels of depression and anxiety](https://www.the74million.org/bored-in-class-a-national-survey-finds-nearly-1-in-3-teens-are-bored-most-or-all-of-the-time-in-school-and-a-majority-report-high-levels-of-stress/). 

10+ years ago a similar survey discovered that students were overwhelmingly bored during the learning process; two out of three saying that they were bored in class <b>[every single day](https://www.livescience.com/1308-students-bored-school.html)</b>. 

But learning doesn't have to be boring, there are other alternatives, possibly far superior alternatives out there. 

<center>https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/08/09/08/46/education-1580143_1280.jpg</center>

# Individuals aren't best served by a heavily standardized curriculum. 
<center> </center> People learn at different rates and forcing students to all move at the same pace is unsurprisingly going to eventually fuel some problems down the road. Families have been searching for solutions and that has likely driven a growing number of families toward considering homeschooling and other schooling alternatives in recent years. 

# One recent survey discovered that as much as <b>*three-quarters of high school students*</b> report feeling bored [regularly at school today](https://www.the74million.org/bored-in-class-a-national-survey-finds-nearly-1-in-3-teens-are-bored-most-or-all-of-the-time-in-school-and-a-majority-report-high-levels-of-stress/). 
<center> </center> For some students <b>a great deal of their time can be wasted</b> while they're stuck in school, being forced to learn at a pace that doesn't cater to their own unique abilities. 

A student might be able to learn more from reading a few books on their own in the library for an hour than they could by spending <b>an entire day in class</b>. 

<center>https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/06/01/06/26/open-book-1428428_1280.jpg </center>

A potential solution to the boredom that's being fostered in these highly-standardized settings rests in educational freedom and having the opportunity to explore a much richer learning experience. There are other alternatives and families and individuals should always have *the option to choose* what they want to learn, when they want to learn it, how they want to learn about it, and so on. 

## When there is some genuine *intrinsic motivation* that's directing that self-learning you might be surprised at the results that you get. 

<center> </center> [Previous research in this area also suggests](https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2014/07/study_too_many_structured_activities_hinder_childrens_executive_functioning.html) that expecting children to adhere to <b>structured activities</b> can <b>possibly worsen</b> their decision-making skills, impeded their goal-setting, and negatively impact their behavior. 

Researchers in Colorado previously discovered that for children who spent <b>more time involved in less-structured activities</b> that they had <b>[more highly-developed *self-directed executive function*](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00593/full)</b>. The pressure that comes along with this *highly-standardized system* arguably helps to foster depression, anxiety, and quickly takes the [fun out of the learning experience](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-17/beautiful-failures-education-making-kids-sick/7589084). 

For the teachers, they should also be given freedom from having to stick to a rigid curriculum that could stunt their creativity and intelligence, limiting them by decreasing their ability to do what they do best. If students are *grossly disinterested* in what they are learning then it isn't likely that this information is going to be retained for a lengthy amount of time. This unique and personal interest is what should *[drive the learning experience](https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/32503/how-the-power-of-interest-drives-learning)*. You might be quick to assume that this could *stunt their potential,* but they might end up *[learning more because of it](https://eic.rsc.org/opinion/students-will-learn-more-if-theyre-interested/2010092.article)*.


Pics:
pixabay

<center>https://steemitimages.com/DQmaW48YhsgLS2fxaYkXCuon3tFpQEEh1tSUCU3jjJXv7RT/%40doitvoluntarily.gif</center>

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