<p>FYI:</p>
<p>[Race</a> to Nowhere | Changing lives one film at a time](<a href=“http://www.racetonowhere.com/]Race”>http://www.racetonowhere.com/)</p>
<p>Thanks for posting !
Have not heard of it.</p>
<p>Me again 
I showed the trailer to DS.
He said that it is a little of BS since studying and being involved gives the kids the sense of being, a sense of doing something productive. Otherwise they will look for destructive behaviors to engage in. Just a thought coming from a 15 year old…</p>
<p>Well worth seeing. I strongly encourage all parents to seek this documentary out…</p>
<p>Wow, this is exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks!</p>
<p>Very interesting. I often worry that my kids get too much pressure to succeed. My youngest is especially hard on himself and I often wonder if it is worth it.</p>
<p>You’re welcome folks. Is it any wonder that we have kids posting that they’re lost after they graduate (see NYC’s thread active in the parents’ forum)? We push them so hard and then turn 'em loose. And it’s like … they look up and say, “But but but I thought you said if I worked my b*** off and put off play and fun and free form time that then I’d get into a “good” college and then I’d have it made! But I don’t have it made! I still have to work work work! You lied!” And then comes depression, a sense of betrayal, anger. And that’s in kids who don’t burn out before college. </p>
<p>And then, as Kelowna’s son points out, maybe not. Wonder how he’ll feel after his college app’s are in, and after college. t’s an interesting and important conversation.</p>
<p>They are definitely not pushed hard enough, not challenged enough in k-12 and their international test results are miserable. Actually, the trouble that some get in HS comes from the fact that they try to challenge themselves with something (sometime not even legal) because they are bored with busy boring assignments that have no positive impact on thier brains. Then, comes college and big eye opener, yes most of them are not prepared for college, even the top kids from best private schools often face the situation that they either have to hire private tutors to bring them up to college level or drop their chosen major altogether.
And then the ones who make it to college graduation, just do not understand that they have to continue pushing hard at every step, it does not work all by itself. Who got an idea that if you work you b–t off in college, you will get everything coming to you without any efforts on your part arter graduation? I tell my D. that it is going to get harder and harder at each next step in her life and she will need to work much harder in a future than she has ever done in a past. However, it does not mean that she should not have fun doing so. However, our conversation started …when she was 5. It is way too late to wait until they are 15.</p>
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<p>What a completely depressing and entirely misleading message to send your kids. I think if you are an average ability person seeking to work among brilliant people, or you have chosen to work in x area for the wrong reasons but you are not actually cut out for it, that might be true. But if you have focused on your strengths and niche, you learned early on how to make GOOD decisions and judgment calls (big and small), and you have focused on how to work smart, rather than just brute force, it’s completely unncessary. It’s not about the hours you work but how you work. It has and always will be quality over quantity.</p>
<p>Thank you Starbright. I was a bit apalled by the same sentiment. I hope our country does not go too far in that direction, tho it seems to be doing so. Hard work is important and a strong work ethic is essential. However I hope that as a country and as a culture we remember to allow a moment to breathe and smile. And that we don’t have to be better than the next guy to be ok.</p>
<p>The U.S. ranks either 2nd or 4th in the world in mathematics (depending on whose data you use) for children not living in poverty (but 21% are in poverty, compared with 2% in Denmark). Ranks first in science and engineering. The business about America lagging behind the rest of the world is mythology.</p>
<p>We also rank first in Wal-Mart clerks.</p>
<p>Thank you Mini. It is always frustrating to read rankings comparing all U.S. with those selected to proceed to University overseas. </p>
<p>And. </p>
<p>How do you rank countries by well adjusted, productive, happy, healthy contented family life? How do you measure successful living?</p>
<p>"Quote:
I tell my D. that it is going to get harder and harder at each next step in her life and she will need to work much harder in a future than she has ever done in a past. However, it does not mean that she should not have fun doing so. </p>
<p>What a completely depressing and entirely misleading message to send your kids. "</p>
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<li>D. is having ball with everything she does. I do not see any depression in her. She is one of the hardest working persons out there, and how it could be depressing to have fun with everything you do? She is talking about everything with excitement. She has chosen to be very busy, it is her choice. She is also very social and always has friends around her. </li>
</ul>
<p>If you tell your child that it will take no effort to get a job, to hold a job, to have family, to raise kids as long as they are done their part of working b–t off at college, you are setting them to be very dissapointed in life and depressed because their expectations will never meet reality. Nope, the only way to enjoy life is to work hard and have fun with it.</p>
<p>The most depressing activity to me is watching TV because you have nothing better to do. However, if you have a ball with TV, enjoy, it is your choice.</p>
<p>Mini - your assertions are correct. </p>
<p>Where we fail, and what makes us less competitive relative to other top performing countries, is with minority achievement. While very difficult to discuss, if one factors out certain minority groups in assessing academic progress, we actually do quite well. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.all4ed.org/files/IntlComp_FactSheet.pdf[/url]”>http://www.all4ed.org/files/IntlComp_FactSheet.pdf</a></p>
<p>I feel for teachers and school systems, who for the most part have lots of people putting forth lots of quality effort. Minority school achievement has proven to be one of our most intractable challenges, and Government and public schools simply have not been able to materially influence the culture and what goes on in the home in a positive way.</p>
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<p>Maybe you ought to actually read the rebuttal and respond to what was written, rather than make up some kind of extreme alternative. Who said anything about no effort? </p>
<p>I never once was told in my life I would have to “work harder and harder each year” and why on earth would I tell my children that? My god, is this now the third world or something? Have to worry about food on your plate? </p>
<p>I chose a career I’m really really good at and I was able to pick up what it took early on. I also enjoy it immensely. I never chose a ‘safe occupation’ or one that was supposed to pay well- I just kept following my interests. It enabled me to I have a career I love, time to raise kids, job security, no debt and earning in the top 1% of income earners. I had to work LESS hard with time as I figured things out. It never has been about EFFORT- you can work long hours doing the wrong thing and be just as far behind as no effort at all. WORKING SMART and in the right way is far far far more powerful than WORKING HARD. </p>
<p>My kids aren’t dumb. I just tell them to follow their interests and figure out what it takes to achieve them. They know what they need to do in some domains of life to reach their goals: sometimes that means doing almost nothing, other times it means working long hours and other times it means stepping back, assessing their strategy, learning from others and <em>doing things differently</em>. </p>
<p>They put in effort <em>when and where it is needed</em>. They can see what it takes and plan accordingly- they certainly have never worked hard because I told them to. They worked hard when it seemed obvious that it was required for the next step or goal. It has served them well so far, and I have 100% confidence they will have a very happy life achieving their goals.</p>
<p>Aw forget it, you obviously have no idea what i’m talking about.</p>