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| A scene from Race to Nowhere. |
Shallow grade
By Aja Davis
In Race to Nowhere, rookie filmmaker Vicki Abeles tries to sum up an extensive problem that affects overachieving scholars trying to get into a “good” college.
Stress, eating disorders, sleep deprivation and cheating are just a few of the problems that can occur. Others have physical and mental breakdowns when they fail.
Stress, eating disorders, sleep deprivation and cheating are just a few of the problems that can occur. Others have physical and mental breakdowns when they fail.
Some of these kids are molded from an early age, too young to have their innocent minds forced to think two and three years older than his or her age. We look at cases like the Jon Benet Ramsey and pageant stories as controversial, as exploitation, as abuse. Critics say pageants force young children to grow up way too early. What about parents forcing their children to take on too much before they are mature enough to handle it? They are stealing their adolescence and replacing it with fears of failure. This in return turns the children into slaves to homework, tests, and reaching for something unattainable, perfection. Is this not abuse?
Parents, children, teachers, doctors, and experts give us their take on this situation. The children are trying to succeed because of pressures from their parents and society. The school is more concerned with academic achievement and not teaching how to become a productive citizen or fostering social skills. Many of the students complain of engaging in exhausting late night homework sessions without eating and still not finishing the heavy workload. Some of the educators spoke out against their school’s way of thinking, concerned that the students are being taught to wedge huge amounts of information in their heads for the sake of only passing a test. One of the students expressed that he forgets the information as soon as the test is over. What good is it if a student is not retaining it? Well to that child it is okay because he achieved the goal of passing. There are a few educators who suggest that getting rid of homework will indeed improve student grades, anxiety, and the pressure of performing well.
Parents, children, teachers, doctors, and experts give us their take on this situation. The children are trying to succeed because of pressures from their parents and society. The school is more concerned with academic achievement and not teaching how to become a productive citizen or fostering social skills. Many of the students complain of engaging in exhausting late night homework sessions without eating and still not finishing the heavy workload. Some of the educators spoke out against their school’s way of thinking, concerned that the students are being taught to wedge huge amounts of information in their heads for the sake of only passing a test. One of the students expressed that he forgets the information as soon as the test is over. What good is it if a student is not retaining it? Well to that child it is okay because he achieved the goal of passing. There are a few educators who suggest that getting rid of homework will indeed improve student grades, anxiety, and the pressure of performing well.
With standardized tests under the former President Bush's No Child Left Behind policy, many college educators are realizing that these students are not prepared for college. They are not prepared to learn, socialize, or deal with real issues and are dropping out.
The documentary makes some valid points, but there seems to be something missing. Throughout the film only two of all the students who speak are from a minority group. Race to Nowhere is missing the point of view of inner city kids and families. Does this suggest that these kids are not in the running with suburban children or that they are not college bound? Hardly a true depiction of every type of child in America, Race to Nowhere seems to try and make you believe that this is happening with all children. There is no doubt that these stories were true, but it does not make the A grade. After building my interest up in the beginning the 85-minute documentary dragged on. It felt like a race to nowhere.
