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The worst grade I ever received in college came from my Computer Animated Design class. I had a professor who had a “magic” briefcase, and out of that briefcase would pop up the most random overhead transparencies. He would pull one out, look at it like he hadn’t seen it in a year (because he truly hadn't seen it in a year) and then briefly scan the contents as he was placing it on the projector. I would always have to brace myself for what would come next…

He would then stare at the overhead projector and read to us the slide that we could all read clearly for ourselves on the board. After 5 minutes of agony and non-related anecdotal commentary apparently inspired by this new slide, he would pull out another “magical” transparency, again look at it quizzically, and then repeat the process indefinitely throughout the entire 50-minute class.

It was about as exciting as dipping paper cuts in lemon juice, but unfortunately, I had to show up because attendance was mandatory. So, instead of participating in such madness, I just kicked my feet up and read “The Chronicles of Narnia” and "Sports Illustrated". My friends would be taking vigorous notes and then whisper, “Hey, this stuff is important. Don’t you care about your grade?” I would reply, “I care about my sanity more than the grade.” I didn't even bother trying to cohesively join the incredibly random fragments of information that magically appeared out of that bag and somehow landed on our tests and quizzes, but somehow I managed to pass the class. I ended up with a C- for the semester, and when my Dad expressed concern over the low grade, I told him the truth: I just didn’t care.

There have been times when I have been teaching a lesson about solving equations and I look up and see a student writing lyrics to his next big rap album. I explain to him that this math concept is important, but then I get that same look I know I had when I was sitting in that Computer Animated Design class. The student just doesn't care. Although I am a little more organized and pedagogically sound compared to my CAD professor, the fact remains that to this student, my teaching is about exciting as dipping paper cuts in lemon juice.

I have sat in on many discussions with parents, students, and counselors about a potential learning disability for a student, and in about 75% of those conferences, I wish we could acknowledge the true learning disability that is hindering the student: the fact that this student just doesn’t really care.

I’m not so much concerned about who is to blame. Maybe it is a student who can’t forsake a few minutes of writing their next big rap album and focus on an important concept. Usually it is some poor teaching practices combined with boring content. But it baffles me when we pretend like the problem is some unknown “learning disability” or “discipline issue” or “teacher/student incompatibility” when the real issue is the apathy that plagues them daily and prevents them from ever really being engaged in the material.

If a student has a true learning disability, it should be acknowledged and addressed. But let’s not lose perspective of the fact that apathy may be playing a bigger role than we may like to acknowledge.

I want to hear from you. What are you doing to light a fire of passion in your classroom? What methods/procedures/activities do you incorporate into your classroom that helps to fight apathy and encourage passion and interest? Leave a comment below if you have something for the rest of us.