quote:I wonder if we aren't doing our kids a disservice by discouraging their dreams and steering them toward "safe" lives with practical degrees that lead to steady jobs.
I don't think the two necessarily go together. You can get a practical degree that will lead to a steady job without sacrificing your dreams.
As far as the premise of your post.....academics aren't that important and can take a back seat....I can't disagree more.
The student-athlete model is already falling apart at many schools because the institutions themselves are undermining it with compromises. The student-athlete's intellectual development is hugely important. I would suggest the following:
No athletic scholarships period. Only academic based scholarships for student-athletes.
Penalties for low graduation rates.
Athletic elegibility tied to academic progress.
College is suppose to be a higher level of education, not an excuse to "chase" dreams. You can't eat dreams, dreams don't provide health care, dreams don't pay taxes, mortgages or provide for your kids. An education will probably do all those things. You can't count on the dream any more than you would winning the powerball. You still buy the tickets....but you don't count on it.
My son, a student-athlete, has a baseball dream. But he has a committment and responsibility to lay a foundation for his future. One that can be trusted to hold the framework of his life, and his future family. I hope he takes that seriously.
There are parts of what you wrote that make me believe your son understands that too. He's not cut out for Stanford or MIT but he's still going to get that degree. So in the end I don't think your thoughts are that bold. A college education is so expensive.....you got to take the academics seriously or why go at all?