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"Why do many of today's teens not want to learn?"

My knee-jerk response to this question was: "For much the same reasons my generation didn't want to learn." However, while considering the question further through my experiences as a student, a parent, a teacher, and an advocate of educational reform, the issue grew more opaque.

The last year I enjoyed during my pre-college years was fourth grade. I hated school so much that I missed more days in middle and high school than I attended and fully disgusted by the middle of my sophomore year, I tested out of school by passing the California High School Proficiency Exam.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the process of learning. I was a voracious reader and very enthusiastic to learn how the world worked. I even enjoyed my worst subject: math. I find manipulating numbers rather soothing even in light of my lack of aptitude in it. I had some great teachers too. It's just things moved too slow for me and for every good teacher I had, 4 others were boring, power consumed jerks.

I started at our local community college when I was 21. I fell in love with learning and knowledge all over again. I bounced from semester to semester with absolute glee and thrived on the stress of research papers and finals week. I changed majors every time an instructor piqued my curiosity and understanding of a new subject. I decided early on that I wanted to teach-any subject would do, thank you. I could always be a student. What's more, maybe I could convince students that learning is great and empowering. I was (an still remain) like an evangelical preacher just discovering Jesus and wanting, no! needing, to spread the news. But then I fell in love and started a family and my education had to wait.

As a parent, I was treated as an idiot. All of a sudden, these people who knew my kids for far less time than I were experts on what I should do. It was one of the first clues I had that maybe the structure of the public school system might be skewed. Every time they dealt out their smug, condescending attitude to me I became this petulant 15 year old again thinking, "When I'm a teacher, I won't do THAT." Furthermore, I watched sadly as both sons' progressed through their educational journeys. They started joyous, as I had. And, as I had, they both reached a point where they hated school and merely did what they had to in order to stay out of trouble.

I didn't return to college for 10 years, and when I did, I was at peace again. I was excited to be racing

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