Who else believes society is making it easier for children to be lazy?

Question

My number one enemy is Sparknotes.com... i think the idea of a quick and easy way for students to slack off their word is sickening. And this is comming from the views of a 16 year old girl... I, personally, fear the day that some of these people around me start making decisions that impact other peoples lives... I had a highschool senior as me to explain 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' to her... and they were assigned to read the easy, modifyed version... and she was an Honor student!!! I read the original version a few weeks before start of my freshmen year and understood it.. im not saying im smart or anything, cuz my grades reflect that im not, but im saying that its sad that a highschool senior on Honor level classes is lazier than a 14 year old girl!!!

I know plenty of CP students that, instead of reading the assigned books, go on the internet and get the summary of the book and still pass with as good a grade as the students who read the assigned books and then some!

Answer 1

It is really bad they way so many people look for shortcuts in schools today. Reading the summaries for a story is inexcusable, and it also hurts the students in the long run (eventually they'll find a teacher that won't work on, and by then they won't be used to reading the whole book and will have problems). However, while sparknotes should never be read without the original story, it can be a helpful supplement when you are reading something with a lot of symbolism or convoluted language. I remember using one for The Brothers Karamazov, and even though I read the book that helped me understand the subtleties and complexities within the plot. A lot of times what looks like laziness, like with the honors senior, is really just a problem with comprehension. There's a huge difference between not bothering to read the story at all and not being able to understand it on your own, and the fact that she actively sought out help to solve the problem shows she might not be that lazy after all.

Answer 2

I don't know about making it so much "easier" as it is "misinformed". I still have some of my father's cliff's notes (which does have a good purpose, but people used them to cheat with just like they do with sparknotes) from 30 years ago. People who cheat will find a way to cheat, they always have. What is sad is the number of parents who are indifferent or even support their children cheating. So many choose the child's word over the teacher's.

The use of the internet for information makes it easy for students to be misinformed. Scholars and Historians can tell you that not all of the information on sites like Wikipedia are correct. What is more, students come on here and ask for "help" with their schoolwork- like we don't notice that every other question written is about the same subject and by the same poster! It is so obvious that they don't read the material (and you know which ones I mean) that you could give them any answer at all and they would take it for truth!

Answer 3

I agree with you all the way. If we put an age limit on Marijuana, then no, kids would not be more likely to use it, obviously because it would be just as illegal to have as it was before if you are under the age limit. It would also help reduce in my opinion, because it would no longer have a rebellious connotation to it and the model rebel teenager often stereotyped to use the plant would no longer be attracted to it. Of course, all I can do is make predictions though. Maybe more kids would end up smoking it as a result, I don't know. Either way, that is not an excuse to keep it illegal. If we illegalized everything that wasn't right for children, we'd all be living like kids and everything would be banned. Marijuana should be legal.

Answer 4

I am 25 years old, and I feel the same way. I am glad to see that some younger people see the same things that I do. You will be one of the ones to help change it. I totally agree that today's society makes laziness easier. The speed and convenience of the Internet has made us more impatient and demanding, as well. Also, depending on who one asks, "Honors" high school classes have been dumbed down recently. Public schools have limited or eliminated physical education classes and recess, so kids are not as physically active as they used to be, either. The American educational system is a mess, and No Child Left Behind, though noble in purpose, is not going to change it.

Answer 5

I truly understand.In Arkansas,teachers cannot use a red pen to mark papers because it might stress the students out , even if they get a good grade!!!It is becoming ridicules because I,m only 25, and I grew up in foster care and i take great pride in all the hard work for my education, and yet some of the people that I know are as dumb as doorknockers!

Answer 6

It isn't just children that this wonderous age has made very lazy!! The adults have become accustomed
to having everything remote controlled, from tv's to car doors, to toys!!!
This is my opinion, of course, but being one of the older generation who has watched people in public and sees the laptops, headphones for the ipods, as well the telephones, I am convinced.

Answer 7

Yes and then you have television and video games that make kids couch potatoes.

As a librarian, I have seen kids go down in reading ability year after year because so many just don't want to read.

Answer 8

We live in a society that is making it easier for adults to be lazy!
Why would anyone choose to get an education, work and contribute to life when welfare is making ignorance and unemployment attractive?
The internet has made it easier for all of us to be lazy. Libraries are practically irrelevent when a computer can give you access to virtually any subject imaginable.

Answer 9

AMEN to that. I can see it by the way the School Buses stop at just about every house. When I went to school we had to all meet in one area.

Answer 10

Don't doubt yourself and watch out for the button pushers!