4 ms·

We're talking about 4 days work week for adults, but no one is talking about 40 hours work week for kids. 7 hours of school, 3 hours of homework, then karate, p

by agilob 4y ago

We're talking about 4 days work week for adults, but no one is talking about 40 hours work week for kids. 7 hours of school, 3 hours of homework, then karate, piano, swimming and football on weekends.

bmitc 4y ago
I've complained about that my whole life. Going from high school to college was wonderful because I had so much time time my first semester in college. (I ended up blowing that by overloading myself in subsequent semesters, but that's another story.) I always hated the idea of homework in school (outside of college/university) because I have never understood being at "home" but still required to do "work" for a place I just spent 7-8 hours at and most days 2-3 more hours for sports or band.
- andai 4y ago
  I just never did homework, half-assed projects and did the bare minimum for tests. I had an unusually liberal school though. I probably would have dropped out if it wasn't illegal here.
Sharlin 4y ago
If those karate, piano, swimming and football are intense enough to be counted as "work" rather than leisure, then something is wrong. Are hobbies not a thing anymore?
- jacquesm 4y ago
  It depends on the intensity and the question of whether or not they are voluntary or mandatory.
- searchableguy 4y ago
  Many kids are forced to do these activities to pad their application for colleges and sometimes it is for show and prestige.
  - Sharlin 4y ago
    Oh. That’s batshit crazy (the college application thing). Why should non-academic achievements make any difference whatsoever when applying to college? Is that a thing anywhere except the US? As for show and prestige, that’s usually what the parents want, so that’s squarely in the "something is wrong" category.
    - nisegami 4y ago
      >Is that a thing anywhere except the US? Very much so. It's a thing even here in my tiny caribbean island for some fields of study.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - collegeburner 4y ago
      colleges have decided they want balanced students who have some of everything (except free time, because lmao they dont need that). so its karate or swimming oe soccer or football or baseball for athleticism, usually 2 during childhood. its piano or violin. its starting extra language study early. boy scouts or national honor society for leadership. speech and debate, model un or working for a campaign to show political consciousness. 100+ nonprofit work (actually documented) or starting your own of you want to stand out. all these can be fun but as a kid you are not doing them to have fun, there is constant pressure to win awards and be the best at these. and the list is picked more from appearance on a college application than enjoyment for a child. this is most american kids now with any ambition of getting into a prestigious school. it will not get you scholarships though. it is also not mentioning that "academic excellence" in high school has moved from straight As to 6-8 AP exams in a single year, i shit you not.
      - searchableguy 4y ago
        > it is also not mentioning that "academic excellence" in high school has moved from straight As to 6-8 AP exams in a single year, i shit you not. Same in India. There is 0.1 to 0.6% chance of getting into any prestigious university depending on the demographic factors of student. This is after extensive filtering in high school. 99% of students spend 6-8 hours in coaching daily for years to get rejected since we follow stack ranking with limited seats. What's sobering is government tried to increase elite universities but people don't perceive them as such even if they have better infrastructure, faculty, and education without the same low acceptance rate.
- konart 4y ago
  Those are not hobbies in this case though. I've been attending music school (violin) for 7 years (7-14 y.o.) and only by the time I hit 30 I reasised the problem with the whole system. Teachers (and to some point parents) expect you to invest as much in this music school as you invest (at least expected to) in your regular school. And I never though about it this way. For me this was always a place to escape most of my classmates and have fun if possible. Or just relax. "Why are all those people are shoutin at me? Can't we all just have a good time?"
  - piaste 4y ago
    This is one of those problems that goes away when you're an adult. I studied piano as a boy and there was always some friction with my Polish teacher for whom piano was her life's work, and try as she might she couldn't quite get her head around a student who didn't want much more than play Bohemian Rhapsody at parties. Tried to get me to love Chopin as much as she genuinely loved him, but it never caught up and I took university as an excuse to quit. After Covid I picked up the violin, I made it clear to both the school and to my teacher that it's strictly a hobby for me, and we got along wonderfully. On our first meeting she remarked that I never asked the one question that new students always ask, i.e. "how long will it take me to be able to play <insert piece of music>" - I had had that thought, but intentionally withheld it because I didn't want anything like expectations or timetables in my brain-clearing hobby.
    - homeland221 4y ago
      I can tell that you will play your violin with life gusto while your Polish teacher do it with life burden. Music should be like that. So many students I saw for the past decades having achive diploma level in piano or violin or sometime both before they attend University ended up throwing away their musical gift. So sad.
    - konart 4y ago
      >This is one of those problems that goes away when you're an adult. True, I'm still grateful to my teachers and mother who persueded me to finish the school. I bought a violin at 24 and a guitar around 30 and now can practice both at my own pace whenever I have time.
papito 4y ago
Just finished "Stolen Focus" and it has a whole chapter on how lack of free play and helicopter parenting completely destroys a child's ability to thrive and focus. What we are doing to kids is criminal, and it's getting worse. Solution? Just give them some pills. We are destroying a whole generation, and their brains are already mush from social media.

by agilob 4y ago

bmitc 4y ago

I've complained about that my whole life. Going from high school to college was wonderful because I had so much time time my first semester in college. (I ended up blowing that by overloading myself in subsequent semesters, but that's another story.) I always hated the idea of homework in school (outside of college/university) because I have never understood being at "home" but still required to do "work" for a place I just spent 7-8 hours at and most days 2-3 more hours for sports or band.

andai 4y ago
I just never did homework, half-assed projects and did the bare minimum for tests. I had an unusually liberal school though. I probably would have dropped out if it wasn't illegal here.

Sharlin 4y ago

If those karate, piano, swimming and football are intense enough to be counted as "work" rather than leisure, then something is wrong. Are hobbies not a thing anymore?

jacquesm 4y ago
It depends on the intensity and the question of whether or not they are voluntary or mandatory.
searchableguy 4y ago
Many kids are forced to do these activities to pad their application for colleges and sometimes it is for show and prestige.
- Sharlin 4y ago
  Oh. That’s batshit crazy (the college application thing). Why should non-academic achievements make any difference whatsoever when applying to college? Is that a thing anywhere except the US? As for show and prestige, that’s usually what the parents want, so that’s squarely in the "something is wrong" category.
  - nisegami 4y ago
    >Is that a thing anywhere except the US? Very much so. It's a thing even here in my tiny caribbean island for some fields of study.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - collegeburner 4y ago
    colleges have decided they want balanced students who have some of everything (except free time, because lmao they dont need that). so its karate or swimming oe soccer or football or baseball for athleticism, usually 2 during childhood. its piano or violin. its starting extra language study early. boy scouts or national honor society for leadership. speech and debate, model un or working for a campaign to show political consciousness. 100+ nonprofit work (actually documented) or starting your own of you want to stand out. all these can be fun but as a kid you are not doing them to have fun, there is constant pressure to win awards and be the best at these. and the list is picked more from appearance on a college application than enjoyment for a child. this is most american kids now with any ambition of getting into a prestigious school. it will not get you scholarships though. it is also not mentioning that "academic excellence" in high school has moved from straight As to 6-8 AP exams in a single year, i shit you not.
    - searchableguy 4y ago
      > it is also not mentioning that "academic excellence" in high school has moved from straight As to 6-8 AP exams in a single year, i shit you not. Same in India. There is 0.1 to 0.6% chance of getting into any prestigious university depending on the demographic factors of student. This is after extensive filtering in high school. 99% of students spend 6-8 hours in coaching daily for years to get rejected since we follow stack ranking with limited seats. What's sobering is government tried to increase elite universities but people don't perceive them as such even if they have better infrastructure, faculty, and education without the same low acceptance rate.
konart 4y ago
Those are not hobbies in this case though. I've been attending music school (violin) for 7 years (7-14 y.o.) and only by the time I hit 30 I reasised the problem with the whole system. Teachers (and to some point parents) expect you to invest as much in this music school as you invest (at least expected to) in your regular school. And I never though about it this way. For me this was always a place to escape most of my classmates and have fun if possible. Or just relax. "Why are all those people are shoutin at me? Can't we all just have a good time?"
- piaste 4y ago
  This is one of those problems that goes away when you're an adult. I studied piano as a boy and there was always some friction with my Polish teacher for whom piano was her life's work, and try as she might she couldn't quite get her head around a student who didn't want much more than play Bohemian Rhapsody at parties. Tried to get me to love Chopin as much as she genuinely loved him, but it never caught up and I took university as an excuse to quit. After Covid I picked up the violin, I made it clear to both the school and to my teacher that it's strictly a hobby for me, and we got along wonderfully. On our first meeting she remarked that I never asked the one question that new students always ask, i.e. "how long will it take me to be able to play <insert piece of music>" - I had had that thought, but intentionally withheld it because I didn't want anything like expectations or timetables in my brain-clearing hobby.
  - homeland221 4y ago
    I can tell that you will play your violin with life gusto while your Polish teacher do it with life burden. Music should be like that. So many students I saw for the past decades having achive diploma level in piano or violin or sometime both before they attend University ended up throwing away their musical gift. So sad.
  - konart 4y ago
    >This is one of those problems that goes away when you're an adult. True, I'm still grateful to my teachers and mother who persueded me to finish the school. I bought a violin at 24 and a guitar around 30 and now can practice both at my own pace whenever I have time.

papito 4y ago

Just finished "Stolen Focus" and it has a whole chapter on how lack of free play and helicopter parenting completely destroys a child's ability to thrive and focus. What we are doing to kids is criminal, and it's getting worse. Solution? Just give them some pills. We are destroying a whole generation, and their brains are already mush from social media.