I’ve been noticing millennials increasingly voicing that the college/university system isn’t working for them. They are graduating with large debts, high interest rates, low paying entry level jobs that provide marginal increases (see The Impact Of Student Loan Debt On Millennial Happiness).

Having two young kids of my own I’ve been following this. I used to think it was a “no brainer” to get them to college, a good one preferably, and then they are their way to adulting and a great career. Right?

Except, I’m witnessing a school system that seems one size fits all and has no place for creatives. In fact the class size alone is enough to make me cringe and I can only volunteer for an hour at a time at most before I feel I have to run home and sit in a salt bath to get all the loud and crazy energy off me.

I’m seeing test scores that don’t seem to reflect anything other than an ability to take in information and push it back out. You can be a good test taker and fall apart at home because of the hour or more of homework interfering with the time you could be playing. You can be a good test taker and be miserable at school. You can be a good test taker and at the same time look sad or super uncomfortable trying to get through the day.

Tests have nothing to do with developing interests or talents. Click to Tweet

Tests have nothing to do with developing interests or talents.

I’m seeing creativity is the first budget cut made across the board even though there are numerous studies that support the creative arts ability to raise IQ’s. Art, music, fun, seem to have left the 4th grade and I don’t know what the future holds.

I’ve started to wonder, is the goal to get them to college? Or is the goal to raise happy people who in turn are contributing members of society?

I should mention that in the U.S. suicide rates among middle and high schoolers is on the rise (Read: Suicide rates rise sharply across the United States, new report shows). I can’t help but wonder if the stress I’m seeing put on 4th graders isn’t the beginning of these increased suicide rates (read: This 16-year-old’s suicide letters are a cry for help and a national call for change). Many times it’s the high achievers that can’t take it, not the high risk kids like you’d think!

We have a friend who’s son did an college internship over the summer and then applied to the prestigious school. One of the kids in his group did not get in to the college and she killed herself. Based on not being admitted to one school!

This is not good.

By the way, I don’t think it’s only the school system because parents are really pushing their kids in both school and sports. In preschool I saw parents asking the teacher for homework because she didn’t give it. They were four years old people!!!

So when I saw a mom post about celebrating her daughter not going to college and choosing not to go to her graduation ceremony, I asked her if I could post in on my blog. I wanted to share it for other parents in similar situations and also to celebrate the fact that the goal is to have a happy child rather than a stressed-out-kill-themselves-before-college-child.

The question I’m asking myself as my boys are finishing up elementary, is if the school system “as is” will support them or will it fail them? Can they thrive outside of school if school makes them unhappy? Those are the questions on my mind.

And this idea that we figure out who we are and what we want in our 20’s has to change. Let’s first honor that we have interests when we are young for a reason and exploring them is important too!

Here is Jayme’s post, which I’m proud to share with you:

My Daughter is NOT Going to College and I’m Proud of Her.

Let me know what you think in the comments.