By The Way...

Monday, September 18, 2006
9:22:00 AM EDT
Hearing Starlight -- Muse
As part of my never-ending quest to show that parents these days are freaking out their kids too much in a mad quest to get them into the perfect schools or whatever, allow me to direct your attention to a dean from MIT, who says that kids need more sleep, not more extracurriculars:

The quest for perfection "is making our children sick," the MIT dean of admissions told a recent gathering of college admissions professionals in Boston. She means it literally, snapping off statistics on the increase in ulcers, anxiety disorders and control disorders such as cutting and anorexia.

"Kids aren't supposed to be finished," she said. "They're partial. They're raw. That's why we're in the business."

For years, high school teachers and counselors have been complaining about the emotional and physical toll of the competition for slots in selective colleges. SAT prep classes and an arms race of extracurricular resume-building, they say, are draining the fun out of life for their students.

You know, I do student interviews for my alma mater, which means that the kids in my area who want to get into my college have to come talk to me, and then I write a report for the college about what my impression of the kid is. I have to tell you I'm not in the least bit interested in a pile of extracurriculars, because all that tells me is the kid has a surface understanding that extracurriculars are supposed to show he or she is "well-rounded."

What I'm looking for is whether the kid has life, spirit and a brain -- not whether they've jumped through all the hoops like an obedient dog, but whether they're capable of looking at the hoops and wondering why they're there. That's the sort of kid I want for the college I went to. If they have that, who cares about the extracurriculars. Give me someone who looks at college like it should be a fun place to learn and grow, not just another job in a series of jobs.


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This entry has 5 comments: (Add your own)

• #5 Comment from hlss2007 
  10/12/06 9:14 PM | Permalink

  Indeed, Kids needs to sleep. That's right, they'll be more productive and they'll feel much better.
  
  I love to say " Resting is an essential part of working "
  No more stress....
  
  Cheers.-
  
  http://www.sensatio.com/
  
• #4 Comment from princesssaurora 
  9/18/06 4:01 PM | Permalink

  You rock John... totally rock...
  
  be well,
  Dawn
  
  
• #3 Comment from mrsm711 
  9/18/06 11:07 AM | Permalink

  My kids are 17 & 16 and still have to be relaxed with their homework (hopefully done) by 10PM.  I believe  that they need rest, good nutrition and a good family life.   With that said, my kids have a 4.0 and are extrememly happy.  Just last night we went to the celebrate my daughter getting in to the Nat'l Honor Society.  I am so proud.  I still believe it all begins in the home.
  http://journals.aol.com/mrsm711/LatteDah/
  Tracy
  
• #2 Comment from monponsett 
  9/18/06 10:10 AM | Permalink

  .. and the best part is that now I don't do much of anything.... I just hang out with the kids.
• #1 Comment from monponsett 
  9/18/06 10:09 AM | Permalink

  For a few years after my parents died, I would cook for/send off to school my younger siblings, go to college classes all morning and afternoon, come home, cook dinner, go work the night shift at the plastics factory, come home to do homework, sleep 4 hours, then repeat.
  
  Weekends saw me trading the schooling for a waitressing job, and a hotel desk clerk job.
  
  Either way, I turned out FINE. Kids today are p*****s.