Thing #5

I can see the advantage of using Google Reader. It makes navigating the Internet much easier. A person will be able to preselect the websites that interest him and then filter the information by quickly scanning the headlines.

The blog that I was most interested in was Students 2.0. It was insightful to get opinions of high school students on a variety of topics. I especially like this one. I think in the world today, everyone has to be the "best". No one can just be average. As a result, we push students to do all kinds of things that we were not expected to do 25 years ago. Kids are expected to volunteer, create, produce and excel at a rate that is far beyond what I was expected to do when I was in high school. Why does everyone have to be the smartest, best, most productive and the greatest? Doesn't the world need some average people? What does being the smartest and brightest really get you? Only a small portion of the world can be professional athletes, Hollywood actors or Albert Einsteins. I have several people in my life who have been told they were the best from the moment they came into the world. They were expected to excel in everything they did. And they did. That was great until the reached about 35 years old and discovered they were completely burned out. They had always done everything that was expected of them and today they do not hold a job. This person gave all he had when he was younger and has nothing left. But it is great that he can say he was the smartest!!

I think it is important for all people to work to their potential. I think it is also important to teach the joy of playing the game and not just the joy of winning. I think it is important for children to be told that it is okay to fail as long as you give it your best. Find joy in what you do. Play a sport for the love of it not because you are the best on the field. My oldest son decided as an eighth grader that he wanted to play football. He had never played, but thought it would be fun. He made the "C" team at his junior high. The only time he was on the field was during the "pre" quarter the district had in place for the "C" team. But, you know what? He had a blast. He loved being a part of something bigger than himself. He cheered on his teammates and wore his jersey to school with pride! He made me so proud to be his parent.

Students today have so much pressure put on them. I love that Hannah Feldmen feels the same way I do. Students should be able to spend their time doing what they want. And if what they want to do is build a water tower in Costa Rica then more power to them. But if they want to knit and read and bake, more power to them for that. They have all of their adult lives to do things that will look good on an application!