Stressing out first 200 SEA students

THE EDITOR: Over-glorification of the first 200 SEA students can come with stressed-out lives going forward. So you studied hard and you did exceptionally well. Your parents want to bask in your glory. Everybody's happy, smiling and showing off. Who cares about the other children and parents?

Then several years down the line when you meet up with plenty other children in university who are, as we say in TT, "brighter than you big time," you start to feel small. Failure is an option.

Parents of the first 200, this is when teenagers start thinking of suicide – if they no longer measure up to the dreams that you have for their further successes in life.

By age 15, not doing well enough to be a doctor, lawyer, architect, geologist or whatever exalted achievement that mummy and daddy had in mind.

Some children do not hit their true studying stride until the meet up in secondary school. Some 12-year-olds are too nervous on the day of the SEA and perform badly.

So, parents, instead of salivating for personal attention based on the backs of innocent children, give the other 18,000 children and their parents some space to breathe.

The SEA is all about cramming and remembering. Cramming at age 12 is far easier than what is expected at age 18.

There is no worse fate than being described as "bright" when small and "duncy head" when the real studying complications hit the fan at university level.

Does anyone ever ask why some teenagers commit suicide? Is it because they are ashamed of disappointing the parents who expect to share photographs with everybody in TT?

Ego-stroking can turn deadly later on in life.

And anyway, the accolades should be given to the teachers who are experts at bringing out the best in the children.

LYNETTE JOSEPH

Diego Martin