‘Race to Nowhere’ documents student stress

At the end of February, the local Jewish Community Center screened the new documentary “Race to Nowhere,” a film that surfaces the failures of the American school system. According to the film, our dog-eat-dog culture not only leaves students unprepared to enter college but also physically and psychologically damaged from the immense pressure they have to succeed.

The film was created by a Bay Area mother, Vicki Abeles, who was motivated to look into the wrongs of the school system when she discovered her kids were suffering from both physical and mental symptoms of stress.

The documentary touches on a topic often overlooked by students, parents and educators alike. It serves as an important wake-up call saying that the current school system is hurting students more than helping them. The film’s title addresses the documentary’s key point that the focus of education is no longer centered around learning, but rather on memorizing for tests and maintaining the highest possible GPA.

Because high school students try to take five or six AP classes and maintain high grades at the same time, they are often forced to sacrifice their health. Students rarely get enough hours of sleep and can be seen abusing stimulants such as caffeine and Adderall.

The physical and mental effects of this desperate attempt to get into the “best” college have manifested themselves into an entire generation of students forced to play the educational game or be left behind.

Through research done in the documentary, it is proven that many top students are unprepared for college and arrive for their first year at university only able to memorize and regurgitate information. It has become a true race to nowhere, especially with students now emerging at the end of high school unprepared to enter college, stressed and hating school in general.

The film is focused around the personal experiences of students across the nation which were effective and eye-opening for parents and educators in the audience. However, several student reactions to the film after the screening saw it differently. According to the student audience, the effects of stress are worse than what was revealed in the film. Many expressed the opinion that the documentary was seen more through a parent’s perspective into the student experience, making problems seem slightly toned down and filtered. The film failed to expose the raw truths of the daily high school experience, but did serve as an important starting point for students, educators and parents to begin addressing the failures of the school system.

The documentary ends on an inspiring tone with a strong call to action, saying that it is possible to get off this treadmill in the race to nowhere unless everyone gets off it together. This documentary is the first step in walking away from the race to nowhere. All students, parents and educators would benefit from viewing the film so that we may begin to change the way our education system functions for the better.