Having a for-kids course isn’t bad... forcing your kids into it sure is.
As anyone who has been to one of these Bay Area high schools can tell you, it’s not so much forcing your kids into something that is the problem (plenty of parents do this all across the country for a variety of things). I think the high schools themselves have a massive culture problem where kids who really should just be doing things they find enjoyable in their free time feel like they have to do so many things they don’t enjoy just to keep up with everyone else. Even at 13, I’m sure many kids had drank the kool-aid and truly believed that doing that course was helping them get ahead in life. All this attitude does is create a massive rat-race where kids are just trying to get the best CV for college applications. I honestly think this seriously stunts the development of these kids, as no one is doing something just because they find it enjoyable.
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As anyone who has been to one of these Bay Area high schools can tell you, it’s not so much forcing your kids into something that is the problem (plenty of parents do this all across the country for a variety of things). I think the high schools themselves have a massive culture problem where kids who really should just be doing things they find enjoyable in their free time feel like they have to do so many things they don’t enjoy just to keep up with everyone else. Even at 13, I’m sure many kids had drank the kool-aid and truly believed that doing that course was helping them get ahead in life. All this attitude does is create a massive rat-race where kids are just trying to get the best CV for college applications. I honestly think this seriously stunts the development of these kids, as no one is doing something just because they find it enjoyable.