Leora Has

Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill

“At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students to abuse stimulants.” NYTimes

A hypocritical conundrum: we tell students they must succeed at all costs so they can get into the very best colleges, get scholarships, find the perfect mate, and someday achieve the “American Dream.” (Plus have a few million in the bank so they can afford health care and retirement.) We pay and pay to help them get an edge with sports camps, reading coaches, SAT study groups, college entrance counselors and the like. THEN we say they can’t use a pill (or be liars or cheats) to be successful—to get the top grades—to endure the grueling schedules and the pressure. They can’t use an easy-to-find pill that has been proven to work because it provides energy and focuses the mind—but unfortunately is addictive. (WE tell them they can’t drink or do drugs to de-stress either—while holding a glass of wine in our hands or secretly smoking a joint on weekends.) Yet when young people look at multimillionaire business people, athletes, politicians, models, musicians, movie stars, and sometimes even their own family members, they know full well many have gotten to their position of power and influence because they’ve cheated, used drugs, used sex, lied, etc. to get to the top. WHAT are we doing to this generation? What kind of values are we teaching them??? What kind of important things AREN’T we teaching them??? What kind of world are they inheriting from us?