The Game of School: Why We All Play It, How It Hurts Kids,and What It Will Take to Change It

by Robert L. Fried

Students play it, teachers perpetuate it, parents condone it, principals endorse it, and governments legislate it. The “game of school” is that familiar scenario where students’ natural curiosity and desire to learn are replaced with a frantic rush (or a compliant shrug) to do the work, please the teacher, and get the grades. This game is easy to master, but exerts a high price. Can we afford to pay the price in wasted time and idle minds? In this compelling book, Robert L. Fried shows how we can change the rules of the game, reclaim and refocus the learning experience, and ultimately bring joy back into the classroom. The Game of School is filled with interviews and stories of teachers and students who are struggling to put the game of school behind them and engage in authentic learning. We experience the excitement of the first day of first grade; listen to urban teens discuss Shakespeare’s Othello ; and meet a college student who is beginning to question her long disengagement with learning.  We are introduced to seven types of learners--from “go-getters” to “pluggers” to “rebels”--and find out how the game shapes their relationship to schooling and life.  

Genres: Education, Teaching, School

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2005

Reviews

[Dani Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly refreshing for anyone who has ever gone to school, is currently in school, or will be going back to school. Fried articulates the frustration and disappointment that I'm feeling right now (but haven't bee.n able to pinpoint) in grad school--disappointment from losing a love of learning and an inquisitiveness about the world, brought on by having to play the game. Guess I'm late to catch on, since apparently most kids learn to play around 5th grade.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a junior in college. I think it may have saved my GPA.

This book is a super-effective commentary on the way kids approach school, and how broken it is. Many of us are just going through the motions, learning how to do well in school, instead of actually learning. I saw a lot of myself in the provided anecdotes. I saw a lot of myself in the hypothetical descriptions of children in the school system, too. I was definitely playing the Game of School. Recognizing this helped to facilitate a change in my approach to school, and I'm already seeing the benefits of that several months later. I feel like I'm actually learning, and that I want to learn.

I think my favorite thing about this book is that it actually suggests solutions to the problems it presents. Not every book can pull that off. It makes the message that much easier to digest, too.

[Katherine King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my teaching class I rather enjoyed it and it gave me a relatable perspective on the education system.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for new teacher training programs or new teachers in the field. Robert Fried discusses a topic we, as educators, find difficult - responsibility of teaching a specified curriculum and ensuring appropriate scores on a test. This approach has not only affected the passion teachers demonstrate each day but also the desire students hold for learning. Teachers change their behaviors for what is expected as do students -- defining the Game of School. Recognizing where our students are, what excites them, building relationships with them, and engaging them in the topic is key to success as a student/team. The approach taken by the teacher can be the difference between participating in the game and enticing students to desire more.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this book was a bit of an eye-opener for me. A lot of preaching to the choir for me, at least, but a great book about how we’re missing prime opportunities to actually educate our children when we’re busy teaching toward the tests and not engaging them well enough. Stunning read, I definitely recommend it.

[mishti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it more for the discussion it generated than for the book itself.

[Joanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a horrible book only read because I had to for a class. Just made me mad reading it.