Do teachers take part in bad study habits?

     What things do you think affect your study habits? Could it be your teachers? What about your parents? Is it everyday distractions? Studying is a very important part of school, used to further knowledge and prepare for tests. It is an invaluable resource in the education system, deepening the understanding of class content while away. However vital it is, most students don’t make it a priority, putting it aside for things they’d rather be doing. It seems like a student problem, but what if teachers have a part to play as well?

     School requires a lot of work; students must complete class assignments, finish projects, do homework, sports, and study. This last item can be hard with the sometimes-insane workload being carried around, and finding time to do it is increasingly rare when class difficulties increase. How is someone to study for their test in Math when they have a four-page essay to write, other homework, and softball practice lasting from after school until late evening? Staying up late and cramming seems to be the only viable option for most students. They must either do that or not get their work done, which could be detrimental to their grades.

     But aren’t the teachers the ones assigning all this? They’re the ones stacking work upon the student. Do teachers give time to study in their classes? If they do, are they letting their pupils get by with abusing that privilege? When packed with homework and sports/work, which forces someone to stay up late and cram, it’s impossible to succeed at studying. Even though teachers are doing their jobs by assigning this work, aimed to educate and refine cognition, could they be supporting bad habits without knowing? Could they be giving too much work for the students to handle and breaching their life outside of school?

     When asked if she thought too much work leads to bad study habits and what effect it might have, Mrs. Camenga replied, “Hopefully we foster good study habits by teaching them good study habits. I feel we have very little effect on students’ study habits until they are a junior or senior, when they realize I’m actually telling them the truth.”  Even when teachers say they see bad study habits such as procrastination, not studying, or trying to study while distracted, do they attempt to fix it, or do they just let it slide?

     Some students, among them Brittany Bonner, think teachers support bad study habits through their assigned work. “Some teachers tell you that you are supposed to be studying, but when they see students not studying or distracted on their phones, or doing something they are not supposed to be doing, they don’t do anything about it.”  

     Mrs. Miller, a teacher, also commented. She thinks parents have more effect on study habits.  “Parents’ attitudes about study habits affect students’ attitudes about study habits.

     Is it possible that teachers give out homework and tests not realizing that it is too much? Teachers, let’s assume you have a test and a homework assignment in your class, due soon. That’s not unreasonable. Now zone out and think about the other tests and other homework assignments your students have in their other classes, and they're all in one or two days of each other. Your students likely have sports practices and family events too. How do you expect them to finish all their schoolwork, study, and have a life outside of school? It is a hard situation to be in, and the time-strain can lead to bad study habits, and oftentimes this goes unnoticed as a culprit among the teachers.