...why do so many students hate school?

...it seems an obvious, but ignored question. john dewey said that an educator must take into account the unique differences between each student. each person is different genetically and in terms of past experiences. even when a standard curricula is presented using established pedagogical methods, each students will have a different quality of experience. thus, teaching and curriculum must be designed in ways that allow for such individual differences. for dewey, education also served a broader social purpose, which was to help people become more effective members of democratic society. dewey argued that the one-way delivery style of authoritarian schooling does not provide a good model for life in democratic society. instead, students need educational experiences which enable them to become valued, equal, and responsible members of society. the most common misunderstanding about dewey is that he was simply supporting progressive education. progressive education, according to dewey, was a wild swing in the philosophical pendulum, against traditional education methods. in progressive education, freedom was the rule, with students being relatively unconstrained by the educator. the problem with progressive education, said dewey, is that freedom alone is no solution. learning needs a structure and order, and must be based on a clear theory of experience, not simply the whim of teachers or students//