https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/223322#M837 <P>I thought this article raised a worthwhile challenge, especially around the idea that effort, persistence, and academic stamina do matter, and that schools should not be afraid to expect students to wrestle with difficult learning. On that point, I think it is tapping into something real.</P><P>Where I would be more cautious is in how quickly it turns that concern into a much bigger story about reduced friction being the main cause of educational decline. For me, that is where the argument starts to feel too neat. Education is more complicated than that. Absenteeism, grade inflation, student well-being, technology use, and changing school policies are not all the same issue, even if they sometimes overlap.</P><P>I also think the article risks setting up a false choice between challenge and care. From my perspective, the best learning environments do both. They ask students to think hard, persist, and produce quality work, but they also recognise that belonging, wellbeing, and trust are not barriers to high expectations. They are often what make high expectations possible.</P><P>The section on AI and digital tools was probably the part I agreed with most. There is a real risk in using technology in ways that let students bypass the hard thinking that learning requires. But even there, I would frame it as a design issue rather than a reason to reject the tools themselves.</P><P>I think the article is strongest when it defends effort, and weaker when it romanticises friction. For me, the aim is not to make learning harder for the sake of it, but to make sure students experience the kind of challenge that leads to genuine thinking, growth, and agency.</P> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:36:36 GMT DoctorHarves 2026-04-06T21:36:36Z https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/223231#M834 <P>Student effort is way down.&nbsp; It's not their fault; it's ours.&nbsp; Read here to <A href="https://www.educationdaly.us/p/bring-back-the-try-hard" target="_self">learn</A> more.&nbsp;</P> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:19:45 GMT https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/223231#M834 Raynise 2026-04-06T21:19:45Z https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/223322#M837 <P>I thought this article raised a worthwhile challenge, especially around the idea that effort, persistence, and academic stamina do matter, and that schools should not be afraid to expect students to wrestle with difficult learning. On that point, I think it is tapping into something real.</P><P>Where I would be more cautious is in how quickly it turns that concern into a much bigger story about reduced friction being the main cause of educational decline. For me, that is where the argument starts to feel too neat. Education is more complicated than that. Absenteeism, grade inflation, student well-being, technology use, and changing school policies are not all the same issue, even if they sometimes overlap.</P><P>I also think the article risks setting up a false choice between challenge and care. From my perspective, the best learning environments do both. They ask students to think hard, persist, and produce quality work, but they also recognise that belonging, wellbeing, and trust are not barriers to high expectations. They are often what make high expectations possible.</P><P>The section on AI and digital tools was probably the part I agreed with most. There is a real risk in using technology in ways that let students bypass the hard thinking that learning requires. But even there, I would frame it as a design issue rather than a reason to reject the tools themselves.</P><P>I think the article is strongest when it defends effort, and weaker when it romanticises friction. For me, the aim is not to make learning harder for the sake of it, but to make sure students experience the kind of challenge that leads to genuine thinking, growth, and agency.</P> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:36:36 GMT https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/223322#M837 DoctorHarves 2026-04-06T21:36:36Z https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/224998#M838 <P>I agree that the article takes a romanticized view of friction and oversimplifies the reasons for declines that we see in education.&nbsp; Great perspective on this read!</P> Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:05:49 GMT https://www.googleforeducommunity.com/t5/Peer-Peer-Topics/Bring-Back-the-Try-Hard/m-p/224998#M838 Raynise 2026-04-10T01:05:49Z