Teaching Video

Teachers, Try This: Help Your Students Embrace Boredom

By Lauren Santucci — March 9, 2023 4:45
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“I’m bored.”

It’s a phrase that regularly comes out of the mouths of students.

But this Toronto teacher has found a solution. Through a 10-minute “nothing period,” in which her class is quiet and seated, Margaret Fong’s students have learned how to occupy themselves and fill their time when they have nothing to do. Some have invented games or drawn comic books; others have come to relish the opportunity to just take a breath. Fong has seen how this experience has had a positive impact on students. It’s also been particularly helpful in her split classroom, enabling her to keep one grade occupied while she works with the other.

Here, she explains how she’s incorporated this practice into her classroom and offers tips for teachers who’d like to do the same.

Lauren Santucci
Video Producer
As a video producer, Lauren Santucci produces, films, and edits meaningful, human-interest digital video and works closely with Education Week editors and reporters. Prior to joining Education Week in 2022, she produced videos for Al Jazeera, FRONTLINE PBS, and The Texas Tribune. She has a master’s degree in visual journalism from Ohio University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

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