

Disengaged Children and How Schools Can Win Them Back with Jenny Anderson, Mind the Gap, Ep.98 (S5,E14)
21 snips May 23, 2025
Jenny Anderson, an author and former New York Times journalist, shares insights from her book The Disengaged Teen. She discusses the alarming engagement crisis in education, linking mental health struggles and societal shifts like the pandemic to declining interest among students. Anderson introduces her framework of four engagement modes—Passenger, Achiever, Resistor, and Explorer—highlighting how these identities impact learning. The conversation emphasizes the importance of innovative educational approaches and parental involvement in revitalizing student motivation.
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Root Causes of Teen Disengagement
- Many teens are disengaged from education but parents often feel helpless and unsure how to support.
- Smartphones exacerbate but aren't the root cause; the overall youth experience needs more care.
Disengagement Tied to Mental Health
- Teen disengagement today reflects both worsening mental health and concern about education's real-world relevance.
- This cognitive churn causes anxiety and makes learning feel less meaningful to teens.
Teach Adaptability and Resilience
- Adapt education to today's world by teaching adaptability, flexibility, and resilience.
- Support kids in trying, failing, and relearning as essential lifelong learning skills.