Wasting Time
By Mark Jacobs
How many times have we been told to “stop wasting time?” How many times have we ourselves said this to our children? As you consider the phrase more deeply, “wasting time” begins to seem stranger and stranger. Is time the sort of thing that can be wasted? Literally, of course it is not. Time is not a thing at all, and things are what we waste or conserve. But metaphorically, is it still possible?
As we grow older, we come to think of time as being something of value, something that can be spent wisely or foolishly. It is in this sense that we speak of time when we talk about wasting it. In this sense, time is perceived analogously to money. With money, we can determine if we have spent it wisely based upon what we got in return for our money. With time, it is a little trickier.
Consider time children spend in traditional schools. Children are expected to have a certain amount of seat time. While in their seats, kids are mostly talked at. They are treated like vessels that must be filled with facts and figures, more and more information. Students vary in their willingness to participate in this process and as a result respond to this form of “education” in many ways, ranging from diligence to resistance, with interest, compliance, and distraction in the middle. Many children are successful, if by that one means being able to regurgitate information on a test a week or two later. Unfortunately, regardless of the student’s level of compliance, little is retained long-term. Honestly, how much of what you were taught in high school do you still remember?
What is overtly taught in schools is only a small part of the students’ education. The structure of schools also instructs. Our children are taught
Þ to obey authority without question (as challenging the teacher or administration is typically perceived as disrespectful);
Þ to accept spending most of their time in pursuits in which they are not interested;
Þ that their work has little value in the real world (by spending so much time doing busywork which is completed and then discarded);
Þ that all of the important decisions will be made for them by well-intentioned adults;
Þ that resolving conflicts is best left to adults in power; and
Þ that meaningful work (that which must be done in order to enable schools to function) is best left to those more qualified than themselves.
Is learning these lessons time well spent? Further, is most of the way time is filled in traditional schools time well spent or time wasted? If our goal as parents is for our children to grow up to be independent, responsible, thoughtful, capable, happy adults, then I would argue that too much of this is not just a waste of time, but even worse, is time spent counterproductively.
How do
What about computer games? At least with those, don’t we know our kids are wasting their time? I would argue that these also are not a waste of time. The time kids play on the computer is invaluable. Some children learn to read, write and type by playing computer games. Others learn math and reasoning. In addition, just using the computer helps our children feel comfortable with technology. Also, most games provide a natural context for meeting goals--moving up in levels and mastering games is a natural type of testing in which you pass when you move on to the next level or win the game. Surprisingly, playing computer games typically involves using social skills. Rarely does a student sit by himself or herself for long periods of time in front of the computer. Rather, using computer games is often a team effort, or one in which an expert student spends time teaching those less skilled or a group works together using problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
1) in order to make their world better, they must participate in a democratic government;
2) they are responsible for creating a just environment as they participate in all the roles in our judicial system (from
judge to juror, from defendant to complainant); and
3) their work is essential for the school to function (from paying bills to keeping attendance records to keeping the
school clean and orderly, all of which is accomplished through their labor).
Indeed, from what we often consider down-time to the frenzy of creativity around a class, chores, clerkships, or committees, Longview students learn to spend their time wisely. Most importantly, students have the opportunity to choose how to spend their time for themselves, so that when they are older, in college or at work or when they have their own families, they are accustomed to making good choices about how to spend their time wisely.
I find it curious how a person’s evaluation of wasting time tends to change throughout his/her lifetime. Infants, toddlers, and young children hardly understand the concept of wasting time: they are far too busy to step back and evaluate whether they are wasting time. Adults up through middle age (and young adults who seem to incorporate many of their parents’ judgments about this) can be harsh critics, judging their time and the time of others as often being wasted. What is most curious is the seeming circle we circumnavigate during our lives. As senior citizens, we tend to return to the feeling that all time spent fully involved in an activity, any activity, is time well spent. Countless seniors on their death beds have left this world with advice to their loved ones to live fully, regardless of what they’re doing at any moment. Isn’t that just what kids learn at