Laziness Does Not Exist

[Electra]

https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01

Laziness Does Not Exist
But unseen barriers do
Devon Price

"So when I see a student failing to complete assignments, missing deadlines, or not delivering results in other aspects of their life, I’m moved to ask: what are the situational factors holding this student back? What needs are currently not being met? And, when it comes to behavioral “laziness,” I’m especially moved to ask: what are the barriers to action that I can’t see?

There are always barriers. Recognizing those barriers— and viewing them as legitimate — is often the first step to breaking “lazy” behavior patterns."

"And when you don’t fully understand a person’s context — what it feels like to be them every day, all the small annoyances and major traumas that define their life — it’s easy to impose abstract, rigid expectations on a person’s behavior."

"When you’re paralyzed with fear of failure, or you don’t even know how to begin a massive, complicated undertaking, it’s damn hard to get **** done. It has nothing to do with desire, motivation, or moral upstandingness. Procastinators can will themselves to work for hours; they can sit in front of a blank word document, doing nothing else, and torture themselves; they can pile on the guilt again and again — none of it makes initiating the task any easier. In fact, their desire to get the damn thing done may worsen their stress and make starting the task harder."

"It’s morally repugnant to me that any educator would be so hostile to the people they are supposed to serve. It’s especially infuriating, that the person enacting this terror was a psychologist. The injustice and ignorance of it leaves me teary every time I discuss it. It’s a common attitude in many educational circles, but no student deserves to encounter it."

"If a person can’t get out of bed, something is making them exhausted. If a student isn’t writing papers, there’s some aspect of the assignment that they can’t do without help. If an employee misses deadlines constantly, something is making organization and deadline-meeting difficult. Even if a person is actively choosing to self-sabotage, there’s a reason for it — some fear they’re working through, some need not being met, a lack of self-esteem being expressed."

 

[Electra]

Oh, I didn't capitalise the Not, can a mod please help me to change it?

I don't think i can modify the title?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Oh, I didn't capitalise the Not, can a mod please help me to change it?

I don't think i can modify the title?

Done

 

[lewisnotmiller]

https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01

Laziness Does Not Exist
But unseen barriers do
Devon Price

"So when I see a student failing to complete assignments, missing deadlines, or not delivering results in other aspects of their life, I’m moved to ask: what are the situational factors holding this student back? What needs are currently not being met? And, when it comes to behavioral “laziness,” I’m especially moved to ask: what are the barriers to action that I can’t see?

There are always barriers. Recognizing those barriers— and viewing them as legitimate — is often the first step to breaking “lazy” behavior patterns."

"And when you don’t fully understand a person’s context — what it feels like to be them every day, all the small annoyances and major traumas that define their life — it’s easy to impose abstract, rigid expectations on a person’s behavior."

"When you’re paralyzed with fear of failure, or you don’t even know how to begin a massive, complicated undertaking, it’s damn hard to get **** done. It has nothing to do with desire, motivation, or moral upstandingness. Procastinators can will themselves to work for hours; they can sit in front of a blank word document, doing nothing else, and torture themselves; they can pile on the guilt again and again — none of it makes initiating the task any easier. In fact, their desire to get the damn thing done may worsen their stress and make starting the task harder."

"It’s morally repugnant to me that any educator would be so hostile to the people they are supposed to serve. It’s especially infuriating, that the person enacting this terror was a psychologist. The injustice and ignorance of it leaves me teary every time I discuss it. It’s a common attitude in many educational circles, but no student deserves to encounter it."

"If a person can’t get out of bed, something is making them exhausted. If a student isn’t writing papers, there’s some aspect of the assignment that they can’t do without help. If an employee misses deadlines constantly, something is making organization and deadline-meeting difficult. Even if a person is actively choosing to self-sabotage, there’s a reason for it — some fear they’re working through, some need not being met, a lack of self-esteem being expressed."

It's an interesting point.
Ultimately, I think we need to recognise that much of how we talk about things...and probably therefore think about things...is shorthand.

So, sure...I can see that labeling people as 'lazy' is a poor substitute for understanding their motivations properly. When I was an educator, I spent an inordinate amount of time convincing students it was to only okay to make mistakes, it was absolutely neccessary. As a basketball coach today, I spend more time trying to convince kids that there is such a thing as a positive mistake, and that we play best when we're making them.

That seem kid who doesn't run hard enough or put their body on the line to get the ball might be short-stepping it to avoid getting there first and having an opportunity to make a mistake.

Still, I wouldn't go so far as saying 'laziness doesn't exist'. Give me ten people, and their motivations and drivers are varied. Some are more self-motivated than others. Some are funnier. Some are judgemental. Some are inflexible.

All of these are terms which we could argue 'don't exist' in any meaningful fashion. Yet all have meaning. They're umbrella statements that tell us something, and hide a lot else.

Quite apart from that...an educator who writes off a student as 'lazy' is not doing their job properly.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm living proof that laziness does exist.

 

[exchemist]

I must say I disagree with this, at least in part.

An teacher or lecturer's job is to impart the knowledge and thinking techniques of his or her speciality, to students prepared to learn. A teacher is not a psychoanalyst, nor should he or she be expected to be. Teaching is quite hard enough already without attempting to load on top a responsibility to get inside the head and private life of of each student.

It may be that an educational institution should offer help of this kind to students who are struggling, but this will require additional specialists. Teachers themselves simply cannot do it.

 

[SomeRandom]

 

[Windwalker]

I must say I disagree with this, at least in part.

An teacher or lecturer's job is to impart the knowledge and thinking techniques of his or her speciality, to students prepared to learn. A teacher is not a psychoanalyst, nor should he or she be expected to be. Teaching is quite hard enough already without attempting to load on top a responsibility to get inside the head and private life of of each student.

It may be that an educational institution should offer help of this kind to students who are struggling, but this will require additional specialists. Teachers themselves simply cannot do it.

Isn't what makes a good teacher someone who can take a student no matter where they are coming from, to work with that in order to teach?

I don't think anyone is asking teachers to be a child's psychotherapist, but they should at least have an understanding of the different types of challenges children have, from a psychological perspective. For instance, not all children respond well to threats of punishment, as one rudimentary understanding. I would think understanding basic psychological differences in children should be a prerequisite for any teacher.

 

[exchemist]

Isn't what makes a good teacher someone who can take a student no matter where they are coming from, to work with that in order to teach?

I don't think anyone is asking teachers to be a child's psychotherapist, but they should at least have an understanding of the different types of challenges children have, from a psychological perspective. For instance, not all children respond well to threats of punishment, as one rudimentary understanding. I would think that should be a prerequisite to a teaching position.

No it isn't, or not at all levels. If you are talking about very young children or very basic education, then maybe. But this is about perceptions of "laziness". This is an accusation that only tends to be made later, in more mature students, who would ordinarily be expected to take some responsibility for their own learning. At that level the teacher is entitled to expect a certain degree of ability to pay attention and diligence with assignments, unless you are speaking specifically about remedial classes, where different standards apply, of course, since you are then catering to those that struggle.

 

[SomeRandom]

No it isn't, or not at all levels. If you are talking about very young children or very basic education, then maybe. But this is about perceptions of "laziness". This is an accusation that only tends to be made later, in more mature students, who would ordinarily be expected to take some responsibility for their own learning. At that level the teacher is entitled to expect a certain degree of ability to pay attention and diligence with assignments, unless you are speaking specifically about remedial classes, where different standards apply, of course, since you are then catering to those that struggle.

I remember back in high school always being accused of being lazy, especially in my later years. And I was to some degree. But as it turned out, all I needed was corrective lenses but I was too proud to ask for help. Plus I was worried I’d be bullied if I wore “nerd glasses.”
Although even with glasses those stupid “OHT” sheets were hard to make out.

 

[gnomon]

I'm living proof that laziness does exist.

Yes you are.

I actually envy your productivity of laziness.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes you are.

I actually envy your productivity of laziness.

A skill developed over many decades.

 

[Secret Chief]

I prefer the word efficiency.

 

[gnomon]

A skill developed over many decades.

You need to teach me.

 

[Revoltingest]

You need to teach me.

Meh....some day.....

 

[IndigoChild5559]

On behalf of people who have experienced severe depression everywhere, thank you for this thread.

However, I have heard of those in their late twenties, even early thirties, who just move in with mom and dad, don't pay rent, don't pay for groceries, and do nothing but but watch TV and play video games all day long. They seem uniquely unmotivated to find work and be productive members of society. Can we discuss this a bit?