Teen DD rebelling against achievement culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids also have had mild freak outs over AI. But AI is a tool! People will still need to run it. People will need to integrate it. Basically, I told my kids you need to go to college to learn how to integrate AI into your work/area of study. Knowledge is power.

Why not just have your kids go into computer science then?

Somebody has to create AI.

My kids don’t want to do CS. I have a graduate degree in CS. There are many pathways to a career in tech. Again AI is a tool. I told my kids to take a couple of CS classes but also philosophy and rhetoric. Natural language processing will emphasize English and logic. Major in what you like but develop a good understanding of how AI can assist your chosen career.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

It’s NOT “climate change.”

It’s CLIMATE CRISIS

(and everyone should be shouting this!!!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

It’s NOT “climate change.”

It’s CLIMATE CRISIS

(and everyone should be shouting this!!!)

People love it when you police their language choices.

[Anonymous]

Rebelling against achievement culture.

Alrighty then, OP. That's a mighty big chip on YOUR shoulder. No wonder your kid is following your cues.

[Anonymous]

She can do both. Be a high achiever in HS and plan for a soft life. That’s what my youngest is doing. The last four years have paid off and she’s going to her first choice with a decent amount of merit scholarship money. She’ll get to study what she wants for a more laidback lifestyle than I have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

It’s NOT “climate change.”

It’s CLIMATE CRISIS

(and everyone should be shouting this!!!)

People love it when you police their language choices.

She’s not wrong. If the climate was a person, we wouldn’t say they were having a health change. We’d call it a health crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

I’m going to promote flexibility and keeping multiple options open to my rising 9th grader. Being open and able to pivot depending on how things evolve takes a lot of intelligence.

It’s pretty critical to work with the kid you have and have a good relationship. By all means, require work to be complete and limit screens, but trying to mold my B ish student who hates math into a 4.0 isn’t worth the damage it would do to his trust in me to guide him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

It’s NOT “climate change.”

It’s CLIMATE CRISIS

(and everyone should be shouting this!!!)

People love it when you police their language choices.

She’s not wrong. If the climate was a person, we wouldn’t say they were having a health change. We’d call it a health crisis.

DP. The PP never said that she’s wrong, just implied that she’s rude.

[Anonymous]

What about learning for the sake of learning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

It’s NOT “climate change.”

It’s CLIMATE CRISIS

(and everyone should be shouting this!!!)

People love it when you police their language choices.

Actually I’m the PP quoted. She’s right it is a climate crisis but I used climate change bc it’s how most people talk about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

I’m going to promote flexibility and keeping multiple options open to my rising 9th grader. Being open and able to pivot depending on how things evolve takes a lot of intelligence.

It’s pretty critical to work with the kid you have and have a good relationship. By all means, require work to be complete and limit screens, but trying to mold my B ish student who hates math into a 4.0 isn’t worth the damage it would do to his trust in me to guide him.

PP here. I agree. I think with such a fast changing world teaching our kids flexibility is paramount to cope with whatever is coming our way. Unfortunately, as seen even in this thread, many parents have a very black/white vision of “success.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people are missing some of the social/cultural issues impacting Gen Z/Gen Alpha. A lot of kids feel their efforts might be in vain because of AI, climate change, etc. They also see that achievement has not necessarily translated into admissions into elite schools/high paying jobs. Instead of dismissing their concerns and labeling them losers (like one PP), I think it’s important to acknowledge their fears while encouraging them to pursue higher education/career.

It’s NOT “climate change.”

It’s CLIMATE CRISIS

(and everyone should be shouting this!!!)

I’m actually embarrassed for you.
Please take some time to read just a few books beyond the sky-is-falling headlines and realize that, while there are certainly measures we can take to improve or change our environment, the warming and cooling of the temperature of the earth is simply beyond our human influence and is a very predictable trend cycle that display a repeating pattern over hundreds of thousands of years. So maybe calm down.

Or don’t.
But if you’re ArE going to give into the hysteria and panic by flailing around with your hands in the air, screaming at everyone to DO SoMETHINg(!!!) could you at least start by directing the billionaire elites to abandon the “let’s all take a private jet to a remote location to discuss the solution to the problem caused by our private jets” approach? Kthanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High school is just something that you have to do if you want opportunities in life. College is the same way. Unless you have a lot of family money, a decent education is not optional if she wants to have a standard of living comparable to the one she has now.

Oh please; no it isn’t!

She could get married & not have to worry about it.

Or use her creativity in other ways to make a highly successful and satisfying career.

Tons of eligible guys are clamoring for high school drop outs.

[Anonymous]

I'm a college professor with an 11th grader, and we were in the same boat in 9th grade-- not turning things in, not engaging with the material, whining about anything education-related, everyone frustrated and resentful. So I casually polled my students at my selective private university. MANY of them say they were the same. That they didn't really get motivated academically until 10th or even 11th grade.

And I saw it with my own HS student. Somewhere around the end of 10th grade, a light switched on. My child is now top of the class in several subjects, even tutoring peers, and doing well enough in others.

One thing that was effective was to discuss the cost of school and the burden of loans. Because of my job, my kids will have reduced tuition, but not 0. This seems to have motivated the 11th grader to pursue the kind of grades that earn scholarships. Now, if your child is rejecting the whole idea of higher education, perhaps look together at the careers she could have without a college degree. She might decide that $45k as a hair stylist is plenty. Show her where and how she could live on the income she can expect from her choices. Mine wanted to do e-art for a minute... we looked together at Etsy to see how much competition there was, and they realized that they are no where near as good as a thousand artists already vying for customers-- at a few bucks per image. You get the idea. Work together to take the desired path to its logical conclusion.