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BOOK EXCERPT
�Declining by Degrees�
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From �IT IS ONLY A PORT OF CALL: REFLECTIONS ON THE STATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION�
by Julie Johnson Kidd
... By making college the destination, the be-all and end-all of life, the ultimate statement of success for a young person and for his or her parents as well, we thwart the normal developmental process of childhood and adolescence. Young people cannot be prepared by overscheduling; they must be allowed the space to grow. Childhood should be a time of experimentation and self-discovery. By shifting the whole focus of those years onto r�sum� building in preparation for the college admissions race, we inadvertently turn this vital time into a pressure cooker devoid of meaning. We rob young people of the opportunity to make their own decisions and thus come to know themselves. We do not teach them that it is aiming low, not failure, that they should avoid. We often protect them from the consequences of their actions and from taking responsibility for those actions.
Consider, for example, today�s overscheduled, overachieving young person. Out of the home at age two, enrolled in an afterschool squash program by age eight (proficiency in squash might be his or her �ticket to the Ivies�), taking PSAT prep courses by grade nine at the latest, and from there on filling every moment with accomplishment, risk-taking, community service, experiences abroad, extracurricular activities, all in order to be acceptable to the college of one�s choice. For others different pressures may predominate, such as the need for a twenty-hour workweek in addition to school to augment the family�s income or to have the resources to keep up with peers with cars and credit cards. Although many of these activities are beneficial, when they are undertaken for the wrong reasons or under pressure, their essential value is negated. At any rate, for most, life means no time for slacking�get going, keep up, outdo, get all As, make sure you win the game. No time for pleasure reading, no time for a crossword puzzle, no time for a walk in the woods, unless it is part of an accredited course that will look good on your r�sum�. A little cheating here and there�well, there is so much pressure on our kids that it is understandable that they�d have to cut corners somewhere. Don�t dwell on it. Hurry on, get going, don�t miss the deadline because it will all be worth it in the end. You�ll be in college and you�ll be set for life. No more worries, no more hurdles. The hardest part of college is getting there. Then you can relax. Then you can have fun. Then we won�t have to worry about you anymore. Given this context, is it any wonder that these students are emotionally disadvantaged when they arrive at college? ...
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MEET ADRIANA, JASON, MATT & BRITNEY
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