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Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

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Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#31

Post by cj »

iamdave wrote: post #22
chrischen wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the worst part is that they're piling more and more school on top of the higher performers, depriving them of the chance to explore outside of school. For example, 6 AP courses or start your own business after school? Which one are kids choosing?

In my case: 6 AP courses, start your own business after school, or drop out and start your own business. I like option C.

Or take 3 APs and start your own business at the same time.

It's doable if you're motivated enough.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#32

Post by wvenable »

protomyth wrote: post #21
run4yourlives wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it actually make sense to put all children below a certain age in a big building for the majority of the day, where they spend all their time with other children of the same age, taking classes from teachers who serve as their only consistent contact with the adult world outside their own home?" Yes, because like it or not, our current set up sees a large secondary function for school: babysitter. The larger pro…

The other problem problem is that the current system has a lot of people and organizations invested in keeping the system running as is or adding more days to the system to add to income. Children aren't the issue, paychecks are the issue.

The schools seem to removing days, not adding them, in order to meet their budget.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#33

Post by jleyank »

Don't forget there are some positions that require a fair amount of training. I guess if those in school because they're forced go away, it would leave a better environment for those picking up the background for advanced studies.

And I see criticisms of the American model of college. Yeah, it pushes a lot of debt on the students but I thought the European model resulted in more years spent in college. There's ways to secure funding for school (such as taking the King's Shilling), and there's no real reason to try for Harvard vs. less-expensive schools, etc.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#34

Post by yequalsx »

reader5000 wrote: post #2

Not only are kids expected to stay in school until their early/mid 20's, depriving them of necessary real-world developmental experience as discussed in the article, they are expected to accept decades' worth of debt to pay for it. The American education model is poison.

The debt burden for most students in higher education is a major problem. We're almost at the point that getting a college degree is not an economically viable option. This has very bad long term consequences.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#35

Post by patrickk »

In the Napoleonic wars, 20 year old Generals commanded armies. Today, Napoleon's military tactics are taught at West Point and other noted military academies. Life expectancy was mid-thirties to forty-ish if my memory serves me correctly. Necessity drives people to do whatever is required to achieve a goal if the need is pressing enough.

The notion that young adults aren't able to cope with "real life" (what an oxymoron that is) is utter rubbish. Try giving them real responsibility (within reason) is the cure.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#36

Post by cschneid »

apsec112 wrote: post #20
shib71 wrote: post #14

One of PGs essays discusses similar ideas ( http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html ). I agree that segregating teenagers may actually be harming their development instead of aiding it. The problem is specialisation and aptitude. First part of the problem: Underlying most modern education is the idea that each individual is suited to a different profession, and that both the individual and society benefit when people ar…

"The trick is how to compress the spectrum - incorporate reality into a system built on an ideal." It's actually much, much simpler than that. Schools simply don't give a damn about teaching students about anything- their primary purpose is just to keep the kids in one place all day long. So give the sufficiently motivated/intelligent kids, who have proven that they don't need to be kept in one place all day long, an…

This argument bothers me, since it degrades everything teachers do. My girlfriend student taught this semester, and worked her ass off, in coordination with her supervising teacher to build interesting lessons (history in particular).

The sheer amount of teacher hate I run across here is amazing.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#37

Post by protomyth »

wvenable wrote: post #32
protomyth wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other problem problem is that the current system has a lot of people and organizations invested in keeping the system running as is or adding more days to the system to add to income. Children aren't the issue, paychecks are the issue.

The schools seem to removing days, not adding them, in order to meet their budget.

I remember a thread on this very board where there was a article on year-round-schooling.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#38

Post by PieSquared »

cj wrote: post #31
iamdave wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my case: 6 AP courses, start your own business after school, or drop out and start your own business. I like option C.

Or take 3 APs and start your own business at the same time. It's doable if you're motivated enough.

It's 100% doable.

I'm taking 3 APs and a few past-AP classes (classes for which APs don't exist), and in my free time working at making iPhone apps/mobile contractor work with a few of my similarly motivated friends. It's not exactly what people around here consider a "business" (i.e. startup), but it does show that it's possible.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#39

Post by gojomo »

hugh3 wrote: post #25
gojomo wrote: post #11

Oddly enough, Newt Gingrich agrees: http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/08_45/b41...

Why is that odd?

You're right that it's not that odd. I was pandering a little to readers who might otherwise be open to Po Bronson and alternative child-rearing theories, but have biases against Gingrich based on a partisan caricature of him.

But, Gingrich is a former college professor and sometimes-member of a political establishment which usually emphasizes more high-school-graduations, and more people going to college. So it is a little odd (and brave) for Gingrich to advocate a change in thinking that, practically, could mean fewer traditional K-12 high school diplomas granted, and lower traditional college enrollment.

He's breaking a political taboo, the simpleminded idea that more years-of-schooling is always better. That's a little odd for someone who might have presidential ambitions.

Re: Why Teenagers Are Growing Up So Slowly Today

#40

Post by sp332 »

rick_2047 wrote: post #10
kilian wrote: post #5

It's an uphill battle even if you want to do something productive instead of drinking and doing drugs. I started my own company when I was 16... and my higher education (which was supposedly training me for the job I was already doing ) did nothing but try and keep me from actually getting real world experience by using real work for my education, or god forbid, intern at my own company. Not to speak of the artificia…

Come on dude, handling bureaucrats is one of the most important principles one can learn anywhere in the world. (I think this remains true for only this generation).

Why limit it to one generation? Seems pretty universal to me.
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