| They are under phenomenal pressure. Everything is more competitive, and they are under a barrage of ratings and selection processes. Endless standardized tests. There was one standardized test when I was a kid -- an intelligence test -- and my parents never showed me the results. I took the ACT and SAT, but they seemed much less critical to getting into a decent college. Grades seem much more critical today, due to competition for slots and scholarships in the more prestigious colleges. Ranking systems, such as who gets to skip a grade in what subject. Competitive selection processes, such as who gets into the youth orchestra, and which level of the youth orchestra. Increased pressure to attend college, and to major in a short list of subjects that are associated with lucrative jobs. Mountains of homework, yet we're also told that kids should learn how to "code" and to build up their "resume" for college admissions, oh and maybe also start a business. I learned to code in the ample spare time that I had because I had relatively little homework. I would not survive being a kid today. |