Gupta Said

Our education process is becoming increasingly competitive and more demanding on student’s time. The ratio of number of applications received to number of students admitted at any premier institution is dwindling largely because of the large number of applications from well qualified students. Being a valedictorian at your high school no longer guarantees you an admission to a college like MIT, Stanford, or Yale.

High school students are increasingly enrolling in more higher level courses like AP and programs like IB and Cambridge to have better qualifications than their peers on their college apps. In addition to academics, they also have to include community service, sports, science olympiad, spelling bee, extra-curricular activities like music, dance, school newsletter, student council, club leadership, etc. Some students begin to get a taste of this right from start of middle school.

The pressure from the system that includes parents leaves no time for fun. The kids are on a tight schedule 24×7 with often back-to-back activities. And this is when education is no longer fun. When a teenager is spending 4 to 6 hours every day after school on homework and other activities, they stop enjoying the learning. How a kid handles this pressure is all dependent upon the ecosystem around the child that supports him or her.

Kids that are not able to resource a good ecosystem snap like this young 14 year old freshman from New York who jumped in front of the train a couple of weeks ago. While this may have been an extreme case, it is definitely not rare. Also, parents and teachers may not be able to recognize the symptoms a child is demonstrating.

However, parents can help to ensure that their child is getting break from the system to rejuvenate and recharge - just like we take a break from work. Simple things like going to the movies with friends and family, short vacation trips, etc can help immensely. If we have to get our children trained for the competitive workforce, we need to also train them on how to release the built up pressure and how to keep the fun going on!