You are going nowhere fast, No that's not it Ohh! Here where go "Race to Nowhere"

In this film it was many moments where I felt for those who were stressed out over school, well, because I have been there and done that. So not cool! Vicki Abeles showed her daughter in the documentary through her stressed out moments and the moments where her stressed turned into illness. That point in the documentary really resonates with me, being as though school has made me stressed out where I couldn't cope and would actually cry like Abeles daughter in the film. It will feel like I was competing to be the best, but I would fall short when it came to testing. However, where I lacked in testing I made up in the homework department. I would be up all night trying to complete my homework, always exhausted with the amount of homework I needed to complete, and I didn't have a life outside of school. This can also be seen in the film with Abeles daughter, so I can really relate to her situation.

In the beginning of the documentary there was a young girl who committed suicide and that right there made me want to take action. No mom should ever have to lose their child because of the stress of school is too much. I just wish that she could of been able to tell her mother the pressure she was under and for her mom to just say, "Honey, you are doing extremely great and if you need help or want help I am here. Many times it does not work like that and their children are actually suffering on the inside and cannot come out to talk about it. We have to change how our school system is conducted because it is one thing to have high expectations for our students, but to make it instilled in them that they have to be perfect in school is outrageous. Lets face it we all know that nobody is perfect and to teach our students that they have to be is not realistic. Also, if they get one bad grade or a low grade that it is not the end of the world, but the start of fixing where they went wrong to strengthening their skills where they failed at.

While the film was playing I jotted down some points that I will like to share with my readers out there. Throughout the documentary all I heard from those students were they wanted to be a doctor or lawyer, but is that what they want or what their families want them to be? What is the underlying reason for students to inspire to be like doctors and lawyers, will they honestly, truly (no pun attended) be happy? Why aren't we trying to expose them to other options that may be healthier for them as well as make the happy. Besides testing their knowledge on subject matters can we also test to see what they are passionate about and help them act on their passions.

Let us take a moment to think about all the non academic activities that can build on a students character and strengthen their real life skills. Work shops that help them identify what success actually is, since we see success as being wealthy, but is that all it is?

So, be all YOU can be and be who YOU want to be!