Episode 11: How to Make School Better – Ideas from a 9-year-old

Show notes: 

I loved having this conversation with Alex, my 9 year old nephew on how to make school better. I will be doing more conversation with tweens and teens to share their side of things which is so important to hear. Alex has a unique way of seeing things and wants to improve his school for the better. There are so many wonderful teachers out there, this conversation is not meant to discredit teachers. This is a different way to look at reframing things from the eyes of the student. 

What we go over on how to make school better: 

• Dirty water fountains, the school should have safer water for kids. 
• Reframing how teachers ask if there are any questions, positive ways that kids will not feel guilty asking
• Alex doesn’t agree that recess should go away as a punishment. Kids need movement to get their energy out so they can focus on class. 
• Fun fact from Alex - the kids that ride their bikes to school are more focused than ones that don’t. 
• Teachers should be teaching about financial literacy. 
• Kindergarten was fun, take some of that into the rest of the grades and have more fun activities to do. 
• Alex’s favorite subject is reading. We discuss ways to make reading fun and still educational
• Standardized testing is outrageous, in Alex’s words. Too much pressure on kids and not a great measure of what children actually know. 
• Ways to spend more time on socialization to help kids make new friends and learn how to be social