Homelss Intel semi-finalist

MomofNEA
Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:32:47 +0000

Fair enough, xiggi. I agree that the process has spun out of control, but I think that applies to the whole entire admissions game, from SATs (thousands of dollars to prep or purchase), to AP accumulation, to college consultants writing kids’ essays. Of course there was always the kid whose mom made an entire fort out of toothpicks while the rest of the kids had ramshackle Popsicle stick creations. It was an early lesson in taking pride in your own work–some kids get their successes on their own, others with lots of support. Of course we want to teach our kids to do the work on their own, but the fact that some don’t doesn’t diminish the hard work that many kids do. The hard workers are the ones we should focus on, not the unfairness of the system. Perhaps changing the date of announcements would make some people more honest and make judging more open to those without all the supports. It would be interesting to see.