Maybe kids don't have to take several Advanced Placement classes, do hours of homework every night, excel at a sport or two, join a bunch of clubs, volunteer at the local health clinic -- and then, of course, get into a top university -- to be successful.
Maybe parents and teachers can let students discover what they enjoy and do well, then have them pursue that -- instead of joining a bunch of activities just because they think it will look good on their college applications.
Across the nation, parents, teachers and kids may be ready to embrace the idea that kids can take many paths to success -- if the popularity of the education documentary "Race to Nowhere" is any indication.
"There's a perception that there is a magical path, and there really isn't," said Laurie Lam, a mother of two in Thousand Oaks, Calif., where the film has been shown several times. "Competition is healthy, and hard work is healthy. But we need to think about how we do it."
In the documentary, several students talk about how miserable the pressure to succeed is making them. They talk about headaches, eating disorders, cheating, even suicide. Parents, too, talk about the stress that homework and over-scheduling puts on families.
