I’m certain that many of us have followed this situation with a wide range of perspective, perceptions, emotions, and even, perhaps, biases.
As a (belated!) parent of a high school freshman and a rising seventh grader, this article challenges me to think harder about what I want from our daughters’ education. As we head down the educational railroad that leads to God only knows what, multiple layers of complex inquiry emerge. How do we teach “resilience”? What is “learning”? What’s the difference between a “career” and a “vocation”? What kind of (and perhaps “which”) institutions are most aligned with our own personal expectations? How do we measure that success, and hold those institutions “accountable”? Learning “what we aren’t good at” is a lesson I learned with an early attitude adjustment at Princeton, with freshman physics and calculus (God knows they tried to help me). I also learn what I don’t know daily. Just ask my girls.
Personal position aside, I commend this thoughtful article for any parent, at any age, who has the luxury of having “choice” in the educational paths on which we place our children, or who has influence over the institutions — public and private -—to which we entrust that education, hoping for nothing more than success in life.
I may even challenge my ninth grader to read it. That’s a start.