Schooling in an Overachieving Culture - Book Report/Review Example

Schooling in an Overachieving Culture What good is overachievement if you cannot enjoy it? In the book, The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, Alexandra Robbins shows what parents of underachievers already know: students are not learning information they can use when they are just learning to take a tests. With the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of 2004 many children are feeling the pressure to succeed. Without this legislation there are certain parents who put pressure on their children to learn and to get straight "As" because the perception is that if they get "As" it will get them into better colleges and this will create an advantage for them in life. However, according to Robbins this practice is causing severe problems for children on a physical, mental and emotional level. They are having problems in many other areas of their lives because they are so pressured to succeed. Teachers are feeling this same pressure because they are pushed to teach subjects that have no relevance to the students daily life. Although Robbins talks about students in AP courses, all children today are being put through the paces of overachievement in an attempt to make the school "look good" so they will continue to receive Federal funding. Meanwhile children are experiencing anxiety attacks, being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and having many psychological problems. Many children are bored with this testing and they have no other outlet for their other needs. In many schools there is limited recess and no art or music programs. These programs are not on the national tests. Robbins shows readers the most difficult aspects of what overachieve can do to students in their high school years. She gives several statistics that were startling. The fact that many Asian students are so pressured that there is a high incidence of suicide: "More than eight out of every hundred thousand students between the ages of 15 and nineteen committed suicide in 2003" (35). Although Asian students are seen as the best educated in the world, to get there has taken many lives. Overachievement has been an act of important for society because there is the perception that an individual high school student can get into "the best" colleges and therefore beat out their competition if they achieve straight "As". There are questions that come to mind about this however: "Does this help a student grow as a person?" "Does it help a student understand what to do in common sense situations?" According to the book the answer to both questions is a resounding "No." Definition of Overachievers An overachiever according to Robbins is a student who is "driven" usually by their parents to get straight "As" in school. These students usually have no social life because most of their lives are spent in hours of homework after school. These kids had no life except when they could sneak away from their parents. In most cases the parents pushed their kids into this overachievement. An Overachievement Society We live in an overachieving society where "mediocre" is pushed to overachieve. From the time a child gets into school, parents are pushing them to achieve. Some children are pushed into being "stars" in pageants at the age of three or four. Some children are pushed into sports where the coach yells at them to achiever. The emphasis is on competition and being the other side. The fun has been taken out of the game in favor of the competition. The kids are over stressed, unhappy, frightened and insecure. Their self-esteem is shot and they are afraid to fail. What once was a sport that was played for fun has become a past-time where a seven year old must perform beyond his capacity or face the consequences. These consequences can be ridicule from the adults around them as well as from other team members. We live in a society where achievement is highly valued and overachievement is highly prized. Since the enforcement of the NCBL legislation schools have put more pressure on every child to achiever. However, those who overachieve and make the schools and the teachers look good are rewarded with gifts of laptops, scholarships and even cash in some schools. Those who are not overachieving are ignored or put into special classes. There is no wonder that these children have the problems they do. Robbins suggests that: No Child Left Behind has already changed the face of the United States classroom and the results are disturbing. The excusive emphasis on tests has left students sick with stress even in the youngest grades; some schools reported that on testing days, up to two dozen children vomit on their test booklets (86). Why is no one looking at this as a negative situation? Why are they not seeing that something is quite wrong with this picture? Why are they continuing to subject kids to this nonsense? According to Robbins one 17 year old tried to commit suicide after she failed her state test. How can this testing be healthy? This example and others is heart breaking when you consider the fact that as a society where failure brings natural balance to the world, children are not allowed to fail. This creates stress not only because of the failure but also because of the perception that failure has for the individual child. Parents are not saying to their children, "just do your best" anymore; instead, they are pushing them beyond their limits and they do not seem to notice how this is affecting the child. The pressure to test has eliminated anything the kids have done for recreation or relaxation. Sports continue to be a favorite past-time only when the school is winning games towards a championship. In fact, in most high school cases the jocks run the school when they are on a winning streak. As Ringer suggests, high schools award their jocks differently than any other student; this is also one of the things that caused the Columbine shootings. This is all a part of how the overachiever is pushed to make his or her mark upon their high school so that they can possibly get into their choice of a college. The problem is that most cannot keep up this pace forever. The educational system in America is teaching kids to take a test. They are learning what the testing board things is important and the adults around these kids are reinforcing the overachievement by their attitudes and statements. Children look up to their parents and look for them to help them get through life. Parents of overachievers end up pushing too hard. Since government has taken a stronger control with the NCLB legislation of what children must learn teachers are too stressed out to create a meaningful lesson. The good news is that some schools are attempting to fight back. According to Robbins 47 states are "considering action against NCLB mandates" (87). The nation can only hope that they follow through so the stress can be relieved at that level. There is another unfortunate aspect of the NCLB legislation and it is that schools are often pressured to do whatever it takes to stay in the balance of what the State has mandated for performance. This means tat in many cases principles are forced to create false statistics to make their school look better. This meant that in Houston, TX charges of fraud according to Robbins (89-89) because the needed to meet the standards so their school would not be closed. Students who overachieve also have negative consequences because it throws the student out of balance. Some of the negative consequences, according to the article, "The Downside to Being an Overachiever" some of these consequences include: 1. Loss of focus or passion -- when students feel they have to succeed in every area of their lives they do not have the time for personal interests and lose sight of what is important to them personally. 2. Poor physical health -- most overachievers experience sleep deprivation, poor diets and psychological disorders surface. 3. The ironic issue is that the very reason kids are forced to overachieve is often unattainable. Many colleges are looking for the well rounded college student instead of those who only achieve straight As. (2009 1) Many of the children in Robbins book will probably be fine as time goes on. Many waited until college to rebel and move away from what their parents wanted. It would be interesting to go back and check on these children many years after they graduate college to see whether they continued the overachievement or did something very different with their lives. Works Cited Ringer, Robert. "Jocks Rule: High School Sports" A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World Blog. 27 March 2009. < http://www.robertringer.com/high-school-sports.html>. Robbins, Alexandra. The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. NY: Hyperion, 2007. "The Downside To Being an Overachiever". 2009. College Board. 27 March 2009 < http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/highschool/extracurriculars/150225.ht ml". Read More