Slack in school

Janine Berdelmann studied social sciences and completed her traineeship in the editorial team. She is the author of numerous science news and advice topics on .

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

"Well, how was school?" - teenagers often only have one answer to this standard question from their parents: "I have no idea". Because especially at this age, young people usually want to see and hear as little as possible from school. Often things are not going very well there. And there is a reason. Here you will find out why puberty makes learning so difficult and what motivation and lack of interest are all about.

School? No thank you!

As a teenager, you are not a beginner to learn. After all, you build on years of learning experience. Nevertheless, in puberty everything is somehow different from before. You prefer to eat pizza with your friends, like to stay up late, explore the parties in the area - and the school? Maths, German and English often seem Spanish to you during this time, you are bored with the lessons and actually you are mostly tired anyway. It's no wonder you feel this way: after all, you're about to grow up. During this time you will have to cope with significant changes: physically, mentally and interpersonal. And that inevitably also has an impact on learning behavior.

Puberty makes learning difficult

That is why your learning behavior differs significantly from "adult learning". Many young people are very tired in the morning and then hang around passively in class. The reason for this is your changed sleep-wake rhythm. During puberty, you are tired in the morning and only get into top form in the evening. Adults, on the other hand, are usually fittest in the morning.

In addition, your brain goes through significant developments during puberty. As a result, you can often not concentrate that well, become easily distracted, and find it harder to plan for the long term.

Overcoming motivation lows

Lows of motivation and mental sagging are therefore completely normal at your age. However, they should not become permanent. Because during your school days you lay the foundation for your future future.

If you have problems at school, for example because you can no longer keep up with the material, you can contact your parents or your teacher. Conversations usually help to uncover the underlying problems in order to be able to take targeted action. Sometimes it also helps if you understand why good grades are important. For example, look for clues as to why you can still use the material you have learned after school. Feel free to ask your parents about their day-to-day working life. This way you can better imagine a connection between the subject matter and the later applicability.

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